Blood or Chocolate: A New Generation, Part I
by melissaturkey
Summary: This is a sequel to my sequel to BaC, it follows the packs as they face a few challanges that threaten to expose them as well as a new generation that emerges to face their own mishaps. It contains Drama, Action and Romance. Please read and review. :D
1. Legal to Drink

**Hey guys! I don't know about you but I'm excited! **

**So here is the long awaited sequel to my other fan fic Blood or Chocolate. It will take us to about four years after that story ends **

**Many people are still asking about the wedding in the epilogue to BoC and the truth is that it is coming. I will post it to the end of that story when my brain has released its block against it, but for now I'm starting on the sequel (this story.) If you have any questions about the wedding or anything that happens in this four year gap between the stories feel free to ask. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Blood and Chocolate but I own all my own ideas. **

**So with that out of the way, how's about we start the story? **

**:D melissaturkey **

**Blood and Chocolate: The Next Generation**

**May/June: Midsummer Moon **

**Chapter 1. Legal to Drink **

Ugh, I groaned waking up to realize what day it was. Was it really necessary to celebrate a twenty-first birthday so thoroughly? Besides being the _legal_ drinking age what was so important? You were legally an adult at eighteen, so what was so important about twenty-one? Normally I wouldn't complain about something like this-a birthday for the entire pack to celebrate, especially if it was mine. But things were busy right now, did it have to be now? And why this year? The last few years had been a simple bonfire and run, some cake and some drinking and everyone going home happy. But this year? This year was big. My wedding wasn't even this extravagant and half the other pack had been invited to that!

"Viv?" Ulf knocked on the door of our bedroom, it was only then that I realized Gabriel wasn't in bed, or even in the room for that matter.

"Yeah?" I answered groggily, my body still asleep under the comfy covers.

"Gabriel wants to see you." Ulf sounded a bit like he did when we were teenagers, skittery and nervous.

"Where the hell is he?" I wiped sleep out of my eyes and jumped out of bed. "Oh you can come in by the way, I'm decent." Ulf seemed to be the only one of the five, or the pack for that matter that cared whether they saw me, or any other member of the pack, nude. Since he and Tasha got a place of their own a few years back he's been very…prudish, though I think that's just his way of signifying commitment, something that his mother never did.

"He's in the inn." Ulf answered while entering the room just in time for me to throw a pair of shorts on. "Oh Moon Viv, I thought you said you were decent."

"I had a shirt and panties on you prude, jeesh been hanging out with your granny too much?" I rolled my eyes and ran a brush through my hair.

"Well get dressed quickly, you're needed." Ulf ignored my comment.

"What's the emergency?" I quirked an eyebrow.

"I don't know. Gabriel didn't say." Ulf shrugged his shoulders.

So I pulled a bra on under my T-shirt, just to be professional, and followed Ulf to the inn. Gabriel was waiting in the dining hall a mysterious grin on his face and I began to wonder if this wasn't just a ruse to get me up early on my birthday. And sure enough there was no emergency, Gabriel just wanted to see me.

"You know next time, when there really is an emergency, I'm not going to come running."

"Don't be silly, babe, you would come."

"That's actually a very prophetic statement." Jenny passed by.

"Her's or mine?"

"Her's." Jenny smirked and continued walking on her way to the garden.

"Well of course." Gabriel rolled his eyes, "Its only cause she likes you more, you know."

"Bull," I leaned up to kiss him before moving on to the kitchen to grab some orange juice.

"Hello Vivian!" A regular guest, Abigail, called from her usual table in the corner.

"Hello Abigail!" I called before greeting a few more guests on my search for juice.

When I finally found a pitcher in the kitchen it was whisked away from me by Renata.

"Um, excuse me I was going to drink that." I muttered.

"No we've decided to celebrate your twenty-first birthday you are not allowed any liquid that doesn't have some form of alcohol in it." Only a friend of my mothers could say something like that in complete seriousness.

"You've got to be kidding." Honestly, alcohol wasn't that pleasant. It messed with your head and no matter how little you drink, at some point you end up with your face in a toilet.

"Nope, completely serious."

"I get thirsty a lot. Do you want me to remember this extravagant party you're throwing for me tonight?"

"Don't worry, we'll tape it for you."

"Is this really necessary?" I asked when she handed me a glass of wine to start out my day.

"Yes it is." She smiled sweetly before sneaking off, presumably to hide the juice.

"Vivian! Vivian!" My name was shouted out only it sounded like "Iv-i-ann, Iv-i-ann"

"Hey, Kaleb!" I whirled around to catch the boy up in my arms just as he jumped.

"Guess what?" My half-brother asked. By far, he was the coolest pup I knew.

"What?" I asked playing along.

"Mommy's gonna let me stay up a little while of your party."

"Is she?" Well then it can't be too wild.

"Yep. And she even said I could play with you all day!"

I tousled his cute little light brown curls, "I'm sure she did."

"And what exactly is she going to do all day?"

"It's a secret." Kaleb got a mischievous look on his little face.

"Would you tell your favorite sister in the whole wide world?" I smiled my most angelic smile.

He nodded his head, then shook it, then shrugged, confused.

"It's okay, you don't have to tell me. Hey, how about you go find Abbey, she should be out in the garden with Jenny."

"Alright!" I smiled and shook my head watching him literally skip out the door.

"Vivian!" Magda called. What now?

"What?"

"The triplets are bothering the guests again!"

"And you can't handle this because…?"

"You know how Lucy gets."

"Yeah, I know."

No offense to Gabriel's mother, because at least by him she did alright, but she had no control over her girls! They were always running around bothering guests!

Well maybe bothering is a strong word.

"Oh, yeah?" I heard Lucy reply to a young male guest in a throaty whisper.

The moment the girls turned twelve and realized that for their age they were amply developed and could pass for a fifteen, even sixteen year old, they had been causing a lot of ruckus. More trouble than even me at their age, but to be fair there are three of them. And of course there's Lucy.

"Lucy." When Maggie and Elsie saw me they scattered.

"What?" She batted her blue eyes at me innocently.

"Could you come here a minute?" I asked biting my tongue in front of guests.

"Sure." She waved goodbye to the human boy, probably fifteen or sixteen himself, and followed me into a deserted hall.

"Would you please stop…distracting the guests?"

"That sounded like a request. And it's not hurting anyone." Her look became defiant the moment we entered the hall though her second trail of thought sounded like a complaint.

"It wasn't a request, let me rephrase. Do not go near the guests, male, female or otherwise. Got it? I don't care if its not hurting anyone, I said to leave them alone. If you don't listen I'll give you something to complain about." I'm sure my glare alone at that moment was enough to complain about, but she didn't say anything turned and walked away. Sometimes I wondered if she had walls around her ears.

"Vivian!" Charlotte sprinted into my arms in an exuberant hug.

"Um, hi?"

"I just got the most amazing news!"

I had never seen her look so happy in the four and a half years I'd known her.

"Well tell me then!"

"I'm pregnant!"

Well she had been looking a little round around the middle, but I wasn't going to say anything.

"Does Jacque know?" I guess that's the first logical question you ask your unmarried friend when she gives you such monumental news.

"No, I just found out like five minutes ago, so far I've told my parents, Adelaide, Philip, and you!"

"Don't you think you should tell Jacque before he finds out from someone else?"

"I can't find him anywhere and I'm so excited I can hardly-oh I just cant stand it!" She fairly bounced.

"Uh, I honestly am not trying to be a smart ass or anything but why are you so excited?" I mean she was pregnant and I was happy for her, and she had every right to be excited but this seemed a little excessive.

"Because we've been together since I was fifteen and I'm turning twenty-one in a month! I can't believe we aren't married yet! You and Gabriel were married after what less than a year right? You were seventeen! I don't know what Jacque's waiting on, I mean I'm already his mate, the queen of his pack and we've been living together for two years! I'm hoping that maybe if…"

"Charlotte, were you trying to get pregnant?" It was a logical question. I didn't really understand what her rush to get married was about, I mean Gabriel and I had been in a different situation, we had been through so much uncertainty that having something real, official and lasting was something we needed. But Charlie didn't need to worry, life was always stable in Green Mountain Valley.

"No, but I'm happy now that I am." She looked at me then, really looked at me and seeing the other thoughts I had hid not to spoil her mood she explained. "I feel like things are going to go crazy again …like they did when you first moved here and Giles…" Her voice trailed off, "Anyway I just want …something." The stability thing. Wow, was everything feeling prophetic today.

"Vivian!" It was Willem this time. Charlotte turned with me at the sound of his voice.

"What?" I snapped. I vaguely wondered if my birthday was going to be so spectacular after all, if they were making me handle every little crisis.

"Gabriel wants you!"

"Oh, not this again, tell him he has to come to me this time." I was really tired of this, I wasn't going to come running just because he asked me to.

"No its really important this time!" I took in his flushed cheeks and worried eyes and decided to believe him.

Charlie and I followed Willem back to the dining hall. It had been cleared of guests and filled with every adult member of the pack. Plus Jacque was there, looking worried. This could not be good.

"What is it?" I asked coming to stand by Gabriel. He put an arm around my waist and whispered, "We were waiting for you, I'm glad you came." To Jacque he said, "You can go on now."

Charlotte had moved to stand by Jacque and his eyes lit up when he saw her. She placed her hand in his and he began to address our pack.

"Most of you know Pierre Carver from town and from runs, well he was running around in the woods yesterday and he found a body. It looks like it was attacked by a loup-garou and I've just spoke with a few of my own pack to spread the word around town. I'm pretty sure it wasn't one of our own because the bite marks were fairly far apart, too large for a Green Mountain native, but of course we'll look into it. I hope that Gabriel will do the same for yours."

"Understand I'm not pointing fingers, just trying to get to the bottom of this. This isn't the first body that was found. In the last few months there have been several bodies turning up all along the Vermont/New Hampshire border and they all look like loup-garou attacks, though the authorities are crediting it to some large animal. Now Mike, the sheriff and our officers are trying to shield the blame from our area but the attacks are getting closer to Green Mountain Valley. It's time we came together to defend ourselves regardless of who's doing it." Jacque stepped back to let Gabriel speak.

"How do you know its one of us?" Someone shouted.

"We are the only loup-garou for a 300 mile radius, and its getting closer to home. Either there are larger wolves like us from the south coming to frame us or its one of us." Gabriel answered simply. I could already see he looked stressed, but to the average person, he would have appeared calm, collected, and in control.

The pack was looking uneasy I could see what was happening, the same thing that happened in West Virginia and Maryland. The only question was: who was doing it this time?

But in my mind there were more questions: Why was this happening to us again? What was it about this generation that just kept seeing the same problems over and over? Is that what Persia meant on her death bed when she said we were the only ones suited for these times of trouble ahead? Was this really what this was all about? To test us?

I looked up at Gabriel who was, with Jacque, answering questions and calming the pack. In his eyes I saw the same questions.

"Can somebody get me a drink?" I called because there seemed to be nothing else I could do.

**Well that sounds like a good place to end chapter one :D **

**I know it's a bit short but I thought it was loaded with so much information and new plot points that I had to stop. I tried something different this time around: instead of introducing all the different themes and plot lines at different intervals I tried to put most of them into the first chapter, or introduce them anyway, I also want you to know that there will be more, this wont be dull and it will grow to be more original as the story goes on. And yes it will go on. :D for a while I hope :D **

**I hope you liked it, please review and tell me your thoughts :D melissaturkey **

_p.s. like the use of the word skittery? Ms. Klause used it to describe Ulf in the book and I was looking through it again I couldn't pass up the chance to use it myself :D _


	2. Responsibilities of all sorts

**Sorry for the wait guys, I did intent to have this out the Wednesday before Thanksgiving but then some files were deleted on my computer inadvertently and I had to write all of them, five of which being the fan fic chapters for this, 2 excited, and the new series of one-shots. You can imagine how ticked off I was so it took me awhile to recapture what exactly was in those chapters, so again sorry for the wait but lets move on now right? :D melissaturkey **

**Blood or Chocolate: A New Generation, Part 1**

**Chapter 2: Responsibilities of All Sorts. **

"So have you told him yet?" Understandably this was the first question I asked when I got my friend alone for the first time in days.

Everything had been hectic since the announcement of the attacks, a lot of sleepless nights and planning went into devising a plan to keep everyone safe and out of suspicion. I had never noticed all it took to lead and protect a group of individuals. You would think growing up the daughter of the pack leader that I would already have witnessed all that responsibility and care, but I hadn't. I guess in some ways I was sheltered by the peace the pack experienced when I was younger, and naive enough in Maryland to assume Gabriel had thought up every solution off the top of his head, I was too busy creating extra trouble of my own, falling into different clutches, when I should have been helping him protect our pack.

Now I saw that it meant sacrificing your life, putting everything on hold and coming up with some sort of plan that was flexible enough to bend with however the situation might change. My birthday celebration had been canceled and I had been allowed to drink whatever I please, juice included so I was sober to help Gabriel this time. We had taken to running in shifts all of us in groups trying to catch whoever was doing this. Just like in Maryland. Sometimes my life felt like a vinyl record stuck on a single groove playing the same thread of music over and over, and after four years of perpetual normality, I suppose something had to happen.

Charlotte looked over at me like I was nuts, "He's so stressed right now, worried and everything, this couldn't have happened at a worse time."

"What happened to Miss 'I'm so happy I'm pregnant, this is going to be so wonderful!'" I teased pitching my voice to an octave only a happy Charlotte could reach.

"I do not sound like that!" She put on a look of mock offence.

"You do!" I laughed momentarily forgetting about all we had to worry about.

"You're going to miss the turn-off." Charlotte said suddenly. We had been driving up the highway along the woods looking for an illusive turn-off that led to the last body, one of our own had found it and they were waiting for us to check it out before they turned it over to the authorities. Gabriel and Jacque had went ahead on all-fours while I had opted to ride with Charlotte, who was very tired this week and didn't feel like running.

Just as we turned off onto the old dirt road Philippe and Pierre came running out from the woods, "Viv! Charlie!" I cut the engine and hopped out.

"What?"

"There was another body!" I had hardly known the twins to reply in unison but they did then.

"What? Where?" I had never seen Charlotte look so frantic, not even four years ago when she found out the man who raised her was not her father. That was calm compared to this.

"About a hundred yards from where Rolf found the last one. Gabriel's looking it over now." Philip's eyes were frenzied, he didn't have to say that it was a hundred yards closer to home.

"They were in the same condition as the others." Pierre, who normally seemed so removed from it all, shared the same anxiety we all felt.

Wordlessly they led us to the second body. When we arrived we found Gabriel and Jacque shouting at one another, which would have been laughable considering their state of dress if not for the bloody shredded limps lying about the forest floor around them. Body was a compliment to this gruesome sight. My mind flashed to a hand buried in a backyard somewhere in Maryland.

"There are no rouge wolves from the south that we've made enemy's with that are alive." Gabriel said for the umpteenth time veins pulsing with frustration.

"And none of the loup-garou up here come close to being the size of those bite marks. It has to be one of yours." Jacque insisted shaking.

Before Gabriel's temper could flare up again I jumped in, "Look, at this point it doesn't matter who we're up against. We've just got to find a way to stop it from happening again. If this person," I spit the word out thinking only a monster would be so willing to rat out their own kind like this one seemed to be, "is intentionally trying to lead authorities to Green Mountain Valley than its more than our problem, its yours too."

I looked pointedly at Jacque. "I know things got crazy when we moved here, but its just not our fault, it's time you step up too, you're facing more responsibility than you know."

I felt like I was speaking on Charlotte's behalf as well as for our situation. "Now, are we going to just stand here or are we going to do something?"

"What can we do?" Was Charlotte's response, but I looked to Gabriel, he had a twinkle of pride in his eyes and I couldn't help staring into his face for a long moment.

"There's not much more we can do that we haven't already been doing," Came Gabriel's ready answer not looking away from me, "maybe we should move the patrols closer to home. At the very least it will keep an outsider from coming too close to the valley and if its one of our own well… we can watch out for each other."

"We already have people complaining, asking questions, won't it be more suspicious if a bunch of large hairy wolves start circling town?" Jacque asked.

"No one from town is going to rat us out. We'll close the inn until this is straightened out, not take in any tourists, block the town off like its under investigation by our police. You can get Mike and the sheriff to do that can't you?" Jacque nodded "Then that's what we'll do." Gabriel sounded like an authority, strong and sure. Nothing would get past us this time. We wouldn't let it.

We took a few minutes to examine the bodies trying to sniff out a familiar scent but came up with nothing. The scent we did get was definitely loup-garou, but feral, wild, not like one of us who spent most of our time in our skin.

"It's not familiar, definitely a stranger." Gabriel pronounced shaping back to skin after going through the first body one last time.

"I don't know, it smells like this forest…sort of familiar" Jacque questioned.

"Cause the body's in this forest idiot." Pierre remarked unthinkingly.

Jacque just growled at him.

"Sorry. God everyone's testy today." Pierre grumbled, Philip proceeded to thump his brother on the back of the head.

Charlie, I noticed had been hanging back a little so I joined her, "What's wrong?"

"Doesn't this bother you, even a little?" Charlotte's calm blue eyes were almost brimming over with tears.

"Of course it does…its just our pack…well we've seen it before. Its not an excuse but after awhile it becomes easier to separate it from your emotions. I mean that person is already dead, there's nothing you can do about it except find who did it and keep it from happening again. Crying over it isn't going to help them."

"_That person _is someone's son, the other is someone's daughter, they aren't that much older than us. People love them, they have family's, siblings, mothers-" Her voice cracked and I pulled her into a hug leading her away from the group. Tears were not my strong suit I knew how to hug and hold but cheering people up…well I couldn't do that if part of me was worried too.

"If this is about the baby, you have nothing to worry about. No one is going after us yet. We don't even know that they will. If this is going to upset you maybe you shouldn't come when we check out the bodies anymore, Adelaide can stay with you when we do it, you'll be safe-"

"No!" Charlotte's voice came out strong and determined. "I'll come. Its my job, it's my duty, just because I'm pregnant doesn't mean I have to quit being me." That was the Charlie I knew and loved. But not apparently what we had to worry about.

"You're what?" Jacque came into view looking shocked, appalled and quite frankly scared.

Charlotte had the look of a deer caught in head-lights for a moment then gained her voice, facing Jacque with confidence, "I'm pregnant, we're pregnant: you and I." A small smile peaked through when she said this.

"How long have you known?" If there was a picture of someone in shock it would be of Jacque's face at this very moment I backed up to Gabriel and the twins not wanting to intrude.

"A week but I think I might be about three months along."

"You think?" His eyebrows arched, well at least he looked a little less shocked.

"Well I didn't want to go to a doctor yet, you know how this town talks and I wanted you to know before everyone else."

"Does Vivian not count as everyone else?" I should have known I would be pulled into this somehow. "And if she knows I assume Gabriel does too. Who else? Obviously Adelaide and she would tell Willem. And then there's your parents and Simon. Tell me Charlotte how many other people count before you tell me?" Jacque caught Philip and Pierre exchanged a look . "Oh great, them too!"

"I'm sorry! I was just excited to spread around what's supposed to be happy news! I couldn't find you! And I didn't see you running to tell me first when you found out about the bodies, something that was vitally important to _our _pack!" Charlotte shouted back, to be damn with the calm rational from moments ago.

Gabriel and I unconsciously took a few more steps back. Pierre and Philip followed.

Jacque stood still for a long while before stepping towards Charlotte in a repentant embrace, the fight over before it even began. "I'm sorry Angel, I shouldn't have yelled. This is great news, fantastic news, the best I've had…ever but especially in these last few weeks. Forgive me?"

Charlotte melted against him serenity falling over her in the calm blanket that was all her own, one that she shared with Jacque even in hot-headed moments. This was the girl I met sitting in the back of a police car while her boyfriend raged through her parents' store, the girl that was content to sit back and wait for her calm influence to push him back to reason, to bring him back to himself.

Jacque stepped back a moment genuine happiness in his voice, "We're really having a baby!"

"Yeah," Charlie laughed kissing him softly, this time Gabriel and I turned around, feeling like intruders in a home that was not ours we slowly walked away the twins leading the way.

"Lets let them take the truck back," I said tossing the keys back in the cab before taking shape to run with my husband.

As we fell into bed later that night Gabriel brought up this afternoon, "How come you didn't tell me about Charlotte? Jacque assumed you did but you hadn't."

"I don't know," I hedged, kicking off my shoes and pealing off my shorts, preparing for a well earned rest. "Just didn't think you'd be interested."

"You know I would be," Gabriel made me look at him. "Come on Viv."

"I'm happy for them, I really am. It's just…they got pregnant without even trying, just by happy accident one day for no other reason than they weren't careful enough. While we've been trying for a year, we haven't _ever_ been careful, and every remedy, concoction and voodoo spell known to man and loup-garou can't get me pregnant."

"That's what this is about?" Gabriel kneeled eye-level with me on the bed. "What happened to you not even being sure you wanted to be a mom? Up until a couple months ago you still had doubts. What happened?" He asked again this time in a voice that demanded an answer.

"Envy? I don't know." I sighed, "It doesn't matter anyway. We don't need pups, we're really happy right?" I wrapped my arms around him.

"Enormously happy," Gabriel paused to give me a delicious kiss. "…but if its still something we both want…we shouldn't give up"

I looked at him for a long moment before deciding, "No, I guess we shouldn't."

**This was supposed to be longer it was ten pages before it was accidentally deleted but now…now I think I'll make it into two chapters, this one gives you enough to think about. ;) Tell me what you think (ie review!) And for anyone who's interested I have a little ditty of one shots called Part of A Pack you can check out that I'll be updating soon along with too excited :D melissaturkey **


	3. The Killer

**Snow Days! Don't you love them? I'm so productive when I'm snowed in and have nothing but my computer to keep me company. Granted this is Saturday but yesterday is when I wrote most of this so…yeah : ) Here goes nothing….**

**Blood or Chocolate: A New Generation, Part 1**

**Chapter 3. The Killer **

"Baby, baby wake-up," I woke to the sound of Gabriel's voice and the feel of him shaking me awake.

"Come on Viv, its our run, I know its early but you got to wake up."

Early? I opened blurry eyes to see the alarm clock reading three o' clock. Three o' clock? We'd only been asleep for four hours! But we had to do it, it was our responsibility, our turn.

"Vivian." He said one more time.

"I'm up," I grumbled grabbing clothes and flip-flops to change into when the run was over. I left them on the edge of the grounds, just outside of the woods, moving further into the growth to shiver into fur form, the fierce familiar ache soothing me awake.

I turned when I did not hear Gabriel do the same. He was nonchalantly leaning against a tree watching me, oblivious to the cool morning air that should be freezing his bare body. I shot him a look that clearly said "What?" Frustrated not for the first time that this form prevented speech.

"Sometimes I just like watching you," He growled. I attempted to roll my wolfish eyes though not sure I succeeded I jumped on him, knocking him to the ground, mock growling fiercely. He had gotten me up this early to do a job, so we had better do it.

"Feisty in the morning are we?" Gabriel smirked before I allowed him to push me off, "Well I guess we should get to work."

I ran off without him moving to take the smaller run through the mountain trails leaving him to take the one around the valley.

Despite all the fuss I was putting up for waking so early a run like this was actually soothing. Lately all my runs had been tainted with a sense of urgency because of the situation. But a morning run lacked that. It was easier to relax and open my senses to the wilderness, to just run for the sheer enjoyment like I believe our ancestors did-so long ago in the woods of France. I bet being awarded this pleasure wasn't something they violated and used to destroy and harm others of their own with. It was just something they had they reveled in. Letting the joy of the crunch of bones and withering of the transformation overpower the senses until they heard even the minutest sound in the woods they made their home…

Maybe it was my fantasizing mind of hearing all the noises around but I suddenly heard a noise, a noise that didn't fit with the wood sounds of a forest's inhabitants rising for the day. It was a crunch of sorts-a crack of bone almost.

I ran towards the sound, letting my senses lead me to the disturbance.

That's when I saw it. I loup-garou of no significant size, maybe a little smaller than me but not by much. It was smearing its muzzle in the blood of its kill. A human.

I ran towards the murderer taking it down and clamping my fangs over its throat. It fought, ripping its hind legs into my gut. But I didn't let go, this was the creature that was causing all our troubles this time around and it was not getting by with its life intact. My claws dug into my opponents back. The human moaned. It was still alive? I loosened my hold-distracted. That's when I made my mistake, instead of moving to gain a better defensive position my prey detached itself from my clutches and fled.

What could I do? I could go after it and possibly catch the killer again, but that would mean leaving this human defenseless for some other animal to pick off or for it to die here alone. And didn't that go against everything I had ever thought since moving to this place where humans were loving and accepting to everyone who passed into its limits? Wasn't that letting the part of my nature that was a monster take over? No, I would stay here.

I let out a howl for my pack to here. A loud cry that called them to me. Hopefully Gabriel wasn't too far away that he wouldn't hear it. I then began to approach the human. It was a female, a teenager maybe seventeen years old, she was sobbing and crying out for me not to come any closer. The look of fear in her eyes was almost unbearable, reminding me of another human who was not so deserving of my concern. But this girl had reason to believe I would kill her. Wasn't it a law of nature that animals competed over food? Didn't I look dangerous? If not more deadly than her original attacker?

I tried to look as harmless as possible considering the differences in my appearance that made me a little more frightening than the common wolf. My larger bigger stance as one, not including the long limbs, strong paws with claws extended from the fight, fangs bared, yes I was a frightening creature to behold. I could see that.

Putting my tail between my legs and flattening my ears I assumed a subordinate appearance, I could not exchange this form for skin, not yet. Not when my senses were on high alert and a killer was in smelling range. But I had to get close enough to the human girl to assess the damage.

The girl was trembling from head to toe. Shredded of her pants her pale legs laid bare in the cool morning air. There was a large chunk torn from her thigh. It looked like whoever it was had tried to maul her limb for limb but had not gotten very far. She had other bite marks too. On her arms, and a particularly lethal looking one on her shoulder that was bleeding much too freely for my comfort. I knew I had to wait until someone from the pack came to take her before I did anything, going after the wolf and finding Gabriel were at the top of the list. But for now I would stand guard over this bleeding frightened human.

I did not have to wait long Philip came loping into view as a human, clothed but in a rushed manner. His shirt was on inside out and his pants were unzipped. He wasn't wearing any shoes. He didn't look like he had run very far. Despite myself suspicious thoughts crossed my head even though of course I knew what the Carver twins looked like in their fur and I trusted Philip, my friend, implicitly.

"Oh Sweet Moon!" Philip rushed to the girl the minute he broke through to the clearing and saw the situation.

"Are you alright?" He asked the girl who nodded before turning her wide eyes back to me waiting on the edge of the scene. "It's okay, she's good. You're safe." Philip lifted the girl up into his arms, "Go ahead and do what you have to, I'll take her back to the inn."

With a nod of my head I ran away, towards the trail of blood left by the killer. No sooner than the trail had started it stopped. At the bank of a river. There were no signs of crossing-the trail didn't pick up on the other side. So that meant the culprit had either swam upstream-wounded-or let the current drift it downstream to wherever it was hiding from us. My ears picked up a thundering approach and Gabriel's strong musk before he was beside me. I loosened my body willing it to change form, as simple as breathing normally but difficult today when my adrenaline was pumping so hard.

His eyes asked me all the questions. "I was running when I came up on the wolf that's been attacking all these humans, it was just a bit but not much smaller than me, I couldn't get a sex, I was distracted, but it looked wild and smelled like the scent we've been picking up, definitely a loup-garou from this area I think. The girl it was attacking is still alive. Philip is taking her back to the inn. One of us should go get Jacque and…well not Charlotte this one likes going for the gut." I glanced done at the gashes on my flat abdomen that were bleeding only gently now. "The other should follow it downriver."

Gabriel nodded for me to go back towards town so I did, not wanting to waste any more time. Gabriel could handle himself with something that size no problem.

I found my clothes on the edge of the grounds. I could see from here, on perimeter of the woods, that a large amount of the pack had realized the situation and had flocked to the inn for some sort of instruction only to find Philip there with a dying human girl. But I had to find Jacque and let him know what was happening before I approached anyone.

Quickly I put on my clothes and sandals. I ran for the nearest pack vehicle knowing it would be unlocked and the keys would be on the dashboard for anyone who needed it. The pack really didn't have separate vehicles apart from Bucky's Tahoe. It didn't make sense when we shared the inn and the accumulative wealth of each other. Bucky was only different because he had bought his own when we were divided in Maryland. And of course Gabriel had his motorcycle.

As I sped down main street I saw loup-garou from Jacque's pack getting out of their homes and businesses, they must have heard my call earlier. But I only stopped when I reached Jacque and Charlotte's house.

"Vivian, what is it?" Jacque was at the door when he heard the car in the driveway.

"Didn't you hear me call earlier? I ran into the killer on my patrol this morning. We have the girl it was trying to kill at the inn. Gabriel's following it downstream Francis Brook right now."

Jacque listened to this news quietly, not exploding like I expected him to before nodding and running towards the woods. "Where's Charlie?" I asked as I moved to go along with him.

"In the bathroom." Jacque peeled off his shirt. "She's been in there since three this morning and she won't come out or let me in, morning sickness is the worst," Jacque paused at the edge of the woods to drop his pants and step out of his shoes. "You should stay here. Someone has to organize the packs, tell them what's going on and how they can help."

I was about to protest, I wanted to be apart of this too, but he was right. Someone had to instruct the packs. I turned back to the house just as he disappeared into the forest a large form of red-brown fur.

"Where's Jacque going?" Charlie came out of the house wiping her mouth with a wet cloth.

"To find the killer."

**So what do you think Philip was up to? Will they find the killer today? Is the girl okay? What's everyone else going to do? Any other questions? Speculations? Anything? Review, tell me what you think, melissaturkey :D**


	4. A Full Day

**Sorry for the delay in posting this I've just been enjoying the holidays! **

**Since I didn't get a chance I hope you all had a Merry Christmas (or Hanukah or other)! **

**And have an amazing New Year! Welcome 2oo9!! **

**My present to you: a new chapter! **

**Blood or Chocolate: A New Generation, Part 1**

**Chapter 4: A Full Day.**

While Charlotte went to gather up her pack to send to the inn for instruction I headed there right away. I wanted to see if that girl was alright and I also wanted to check if Gabriel and Jacque had returned, whether or not they had caught up with the rogue or had any news.

I was pulling into the inn driveway when Esme came running out the door, closely followed by Tomas, Rolf and Renata.

"What's going on? Philip just said you must have caught the killer in the act and fought it off." My mother kept pace with me as I rushed inside.

"Basically that's what happened, where's the girl?"

"Jenny has her." Renata answered.

"So she's still alive? She was bleeding pretty badly." I kept walking through the inn even as we picked up more members of the pack, eager for news. It was obvious Gabriel hadn't returned.

"Yes Jenny was able to stop the bleeding and is working on repairing some of the damage to the torn arteries in her leg."

"But she'll be okay?"

"Yes, well if you hadn't have come the minute you did she would be minus one leg but as it is Jenny thinks she'll be fine." Odessa explained joining the group.

"Well where is she?" My patience was running thin.

"Room 4, Jenny was fluffing pillows there when Philip found her."

I headed off in that direction as the questions began.

"Did Gabriel follow it?"

"Where's Jacque?"

"Is Charlotte on her way?"

"Who do you think it is?"

"Charlotte's coming with the other pack, we'll explain everything we can then, Gabriel and Jacque are trailing the murderer right now. For now get everybody in the parlor, I'll be there in a minute."

"But-" I entered room 4, shut the door and locked it.

"Vivian!" Philip jumped to his feet where he had been sitting by the girl's side, she was unconscious and Jenny was leaning over her bare leg, the one with the large chunk torn off of flesh and ligament.

"She's okay?" I asked to make sure coming closer to the girl.

"Yeah, she's gonna be fine." Philip looked harried. His clothing was still disheveled and his hair was mussed like he'd been trying to pull it out.

"How long has she been unconscious?" I took a seat next to Jenny opposite where Philip had reclaimed his own.

I questioned Jenny but it was Philip who answered. "She was only conscious a few minutes when I was carrying her back before she passed out, she hasn't woken since." Philip looked very worried over this total stranger.

"I've given her a transfusion so whatever's keeping her asleep now is just the trauma." Jenny added prodding into her open wound with smelly pads of some sort of homemade ointment. I winced.

"Or she's just protecting herself from the pain." Philip grumbled.

"I did anesthetize her wounds. She wouldn't feel a thing even if she were awake." Jenny snapped at him, I could tell she did not appreciate his hovering.

"Do we know anything about her? Did she have a wallet or anything with her?" I asked, "Something we could use to contact her family with?"

"No, but before she passed out I asked her what her name was, its Claire." Philip handed me a red jacket and a purple t-shirt. "This is what she was wearing, her pants must still be in the clearing."

I glanced down at the girl in her white undershirt stained with blood from her shoulder wound now covered with a smelly pad similar to the one now on her left thigh. Her pink underpants and abdomen were mostly covered by a thin white sheet, her arms and legs were covered in a light dusting of pale freckles. Her pale skin was pink from exposure despite the warmth of the summer morning and matted into her light brown hair was mud and blood, her arms were covered in smaller scratches and bites. But on a whole for someone who just survived a loup-garou attack she didn't look that bad. She was lucky this creature liked to play with its food.

I glanced up at Philip, "You know you don't have to stay here."

"I know, but when she wakes up she's going to be disoriented, she isn't from around her so she might be confused. It'll be easier if she sees one familiar face."

He had a point, his was probably the only human face she'd seen in this county assuming we were right and she was just passing through which tended to be the pattern for most of the victims.

Well I couldn't just sit here. I had to do my duty, but before I left the room I noticed something. "Where's Pierre?"

Though the twins were by no means conjoined at the hip, being so different from one another, it was still odd to see them outside the same vicinity, if you saw one normally you could bet the other was in the same general area.

"Oh, he's probably still asleep, don't worry I'm sure he'll be here when you're ready to address everyone." Philip's eyes didn't quite meet mine.

"You mean he wasn't with you in the woods this morning?" My eyebrows raised unconsciously.

"Uh, no, I was on my own this morning." Something about that statement struck me as odd, but before I could ask what he had been doing he cut me off.

"Look, it has nothing to do with the attacks. I promise you Viv, you have to believe me." Philip's eyes pleaded just as much as his words.

"Okay, but you will tell me what you were up to later." I shot him a hard look, because regardless of our friendship Philip was up to something, and I was going to know what.

"Jenny, this conversation didn't happen." I told her before I left the room, "We're going to respect Philip's privacy."

"Okay," Jenny nodded before moving on to treat the more minor wounds.

"Vivian." Philip stopped me with my hand on the door.

"Yeah?" I turned back.

"Thanks."

"No problem." Walking into the foyer I knew that the other pack had arrived and sure enough Charlotte was at the top of the staircase trying to keep everyone calm even when news of how close the attack was to town began to circulate.

"Vivian!" Someone spotted me but I raised my hands motioning for them to part for me. Loup-garou were grouped to half-way up the staircase, filling the front hall and foyer, spilling into the dining hall and the lounge, it took awhile to comprehend the size of our packs combined after being part of such a small pack for so long, but after the shock wore off I climbed the staircase and took my place beside Charlie.

The questions started at once, all ones I'd heard before.

"What happened?"

"How far away was it?"

"Is the girl okay?"

"Does she know about us?"

"Where's Gabriel?"

"Is Jacque with him?"

"Have they found the attacker yet?"

"Did you recognize who it was?"

"Stop, stop, stop!" Charlotte's voice didn't carry in the din of voices.

"Shut-up!" I shouted. Mine didn't carry either.

"Silence!" Bucky roared supplying his own voice. The place was silenced.

"Thank you." I nodded to Bucky. "Now I'm going to tell you what happened and if you have any questions when I'm done ask them, otherwise we'll start doling out duties."

There was a general acceptance of this so I went on telling them the details of the morning, everything I could remember about the killer and where it was headed. I explained about the girl, her condition and where Gabriel and Jacque were searching. When I was though no one had anything more to ask. It would be pointless to ask anymore details about the killer when it was plain it was not anyone I recognized.

"Now we need to work out what to do about this. The attack was closer to town than ever and I've finally figured out how its getting past us. It depends on us protecting our own side. Gabriel and I weren't supposed to run this morning. It was supposed to be one of the town pack pairs but was changed last minute. We've been unconsciously spending more time defending where are own pack is concentrated and not the town as a whole, because of this the killer has been picking out who's patrolling when and coming in in a different direction. It didn't expect anyone from my pack so it came in the mountain side."

"So what are we going to do? You cant expect us to stop worrying about our own!" Came a voice from the town loup-garou.

"No but we can expect you to split up into groups with at least one from each pack." Charlotte picked up seeing where I was going with this. "That way each side of the valley is guarded."

"Exactly, we just have to figure out who works best with who and which we can pair up with no bias-that's a distraction too, being paired with someone you're close to." I was guilty of that myself.

There was some grumbling about this but soon the process was underway. Some of the town pack we counted as a part of our own, like the fives' girls, especially Tasha and some other town members who had gotten close to my mother's age mates, though I was thinking of keeping Philip and Pierre as a part of their own so I could run with them and get a chance to see what they had been up to that made them come across three of the four bodies that had been close to home.

We ended up dividing everyone into groups of four: two inn pack members and two townies, this way all the ground was covered. I had decided us leaders should be divided into groups that were likely to slack off.

I ended up placing myself with Pierre, Philip, and Lucy. I didn't really think Philip would slack off, not after being caught in the woods during a suspicious time, but Pierre and Lucy would have to be watched. Gabriel was too soft on his sister to police her and he'd probably end up roughing Pierre up a bit if he got too cocky. Jacque couldn't handle Lucy and Charlotte wasn't going to be patrolling at all. Much to her chagrin she realized that half the time she was too exhausted to run and besides it wasn't really right to endanger the pup she was carrying if she did come upon the attacker.

It was as I was divvying up Bucky with Lucien, Tasha's mother, and a loup-garou shop keeper and Finn with Elsie, and two older members of Charlotte's pack when Gabriel and Jacque came stomping into the hall in muddy jeans chests slickened with rain. It was only then that we noticed the skies had darkened with a summer shower outside.

"Did you-?" Everyone started.

"We didn't find anyone." Jacque looked disappointed, slightly angered, and thoroughly exhausted, well they had been running up and down the mountain and around the valley all day.

Noise reverberated through the hall again. "Quiet!" Gabriel's voice filled the hall even as exhaustion plagued him. He and Jacque made their way to Charlie and I.

"I assume you took care of the new patrols?" Gabriel asked embracing me roughly, thoughts always mirroring mine.

"Yes, everyone's doubled up with people they don't normally run with: two from each pack." I explained trying to rub the fatigue from his muscles.

"Perfect." Gabriel whispered in my ear, kissing me quickly before addressing the pack. "If you haven't been assigned stick around. Everyone else go home and get some rest. There's nothing else we can do for the day."

As the crowd dispersed going to their respective homes. Charlotte and I picked out the last few patrol groups and assigned Bucky's to start and for Bucky to pick the next group after him and so on, the order didn't really matter only the purpose.

"Girl okay?" Gabriel asked as we made our way home.

"Her name is Claire and yeah, she'll be okay."

"That's good." Gabriel's voice faded off as he made his way to bed.

"I've never seen you this tired." I commented as we crawled into bed. It was only afternoon but the day felt full, like it had stretched on long enough.

"You try covering more than a two hundred mile radius in sliding mud and rain. It completely washed all traces of the killers scent, there was absolutely no sign of it downstream. Tomorrow we'll lead a party to check upstream but it's probably useless by now."

"Make Bucky lead the team tomorrow, you and Jacque are tough but you're not supermen." I pushed him down on his stomach to massage his broad shoulders and wide back. "Just sleep for now," I said quietly and in no time at all he was.

**Happy New Year Everyone! :D melissaturkey **


	5. Suspicion, a Note, and a Toe

**Sorry for the wait now that school is back in session I hope to be more on task. Speaking of being on-task, Vivian starts the chapter off being very on task…and it just sort of goes down hill from there, lol, here goes nothing... **

**Blood or Chocolate: A New Generation, Part 1**

**Chapter 5: Suspicion, a Note, and a Toe. **

The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was the light given off by the waxing crescent falling softly into the bedroom bathing Gabriel in pale luminescence. The faint scars that decorated his strong body here and there shined in the midnight light. I took the opportunity to kiss a highlighted nick just below his shoulder blade and relaxed back into the covers.

Waking up so early with no hope of reclaiming sleep meant one of two things. Either I caught up on all the duties I'd been neglecting at home. Or go out for a run performing the dual purposes of relaxing my nerves and helping protect the area. Glancing at the clock I saw I had time for both.

Washing dishes was the bane of my existence, but I got through it. Washing off the table and sweeping up the kitchen, I moved on to the living room clearing off the coffee table and getting the loose change and random junk out from under the cushions. I collected three dollars in change from that alone. Who said housework didn't pay? Most of it probably belonged to the five but what was it they always said about finders keepers? Ulf's old room probably needed dusted but it was only used for storing junk now anyway so that could wait till another day.

Ugh! The bathroom. If washing dishes was the bane of my existence then cleaning the bathroom was primordial torture. Someone should tell me again why we let every male that visit's the house use the restroom. I'm not above telling them all to take it outside, or at least to someone else's cabin or the inn where I don't have to clean it up. I don't care whose pack they belong to. Tell me was is it really that hard to aim?

I would wait to do our bedroom until after Gabriel woke up. He was still tired from yesterday and if I woke him up now he would never get back to sleep. After spraying a mist of Febreze in every room to dispel the smell of wet dog I washed up and headed out the door leaving my clothes on the edge of the woods for later.

I ran on the strong pads of my paws through the woods to the clearing where I found Claire, searching around until I found the tattered and torn jeans that she'd been wearing. Magda, Odessa or someone could fix them for her if she wanted but I was nosing around for something more important. Her wallet. But it was not in her pockets, not anywhere to be seen. Huh. Who was this girl? We weren't going to find out until she woke and that might not be for days depending on how long it took her brain to cope with stress…well at least no cops were searching through here asking questions about her. Mike and the sheriff were doing a good job of keeping outside authorities from sniffing around-investigating the valley-hopefully it would stay that way.

After carrying the torn jeans back to the clearing I ran for hours meeting up with several different patrol parties, just running off stress. The problems followed me but this helped deal with them. At least some of them. The ones I didn't blame myself for. The others well…I couldn't help wonder if maybe I had sent Jacque upstream when I had already sent Gabriel downstream if we could have covered more ground and caught this creature. Maybe if… ugh! This wasn't helping. It was only giving me more time to think about my follies.

As I replaced my clothes and entered our yard the sun decided to come up, casting the green valley in summer sunlight. Despite my preference of moonlight the sight of the valley springing to life before my eyes was breathtaking.

As I walked into my home I heard Gabriel in the shower, I was tempted to join him but decided the best treatment for yesterday's exhaustion was a big breakfast.

I never really liked cooking. I could do it if forced but normally we just ate with some of the pack at the inn or in someone else's cabin. I got away with being lazy in that respect. I could have ran up to the inn and requested something but with no guests it was unlikely anything would be made up for more than just the few that lived there, and I didn't really want to take anyone's breakfast. Even though it was within my rights to pull rank, I didn't.

Steak and eggs were on the stove by the time Gabriel's towel-draped form entered the kitchen doorway casting a shadow over where I was cooking. "What's the occasion?" He asked sniffing in the direction of the food.

"Just thought we needed it," I said nonchalantly placing the eggs on plates. I was only waiting on the meat now.

"Why? You expecting anymore sneak attacks in the next twenty-four hours? Should I take another nap to prepare?" Gabriel smirked moving around the table to kiss me deeply.

"Hey, don't distract me I'm trying not to burn your breakfast!" I playfully pushed him away.

"Yes ma'am," But he couldn't resist stealing another kiss before leaving the room to dress.

It was two hours before we left the cabin, we ate and then I had to shower propelling him to attack me after I was through. By the time we were ready to leave it was seven and everyone was already going about their business like any other day and Gabriel and I parted ways. He was going to Bucky to see how the latest patrols went and I went to room 4 to check on Claire.

The sight I saw when I walked into the room stopped me in my tracks. Philip had stayed through the night, curled up in the armchair by the girl's side. His head had fallen to rest on the arm nearest the bed. That he spent the night looking after a complete stranger was enough of a shock but what stopped me was that Pierre had come at some point too. He was leaning against the side of the bed at the foot of the armchair holding a pile of clothes. He must have brought them for his brother while he was asleep and while he was waiting for him to wake up must have fallen asleep himself, his head falling to rest on his brother's knee.

I took a moment to study the twins. Pierre was a nice enough guy but I had never thought he would go out of his way to make someone comfortable, least of all his brother. But he had, and watching them breathing in sync, resting against one another I felt…like I had missed something about them in the almost five years I had known them. I was just now realizing how close they are.

I smiled to myself before moving to sit on the other side of the motionless girl. Jenny or Philip must have covered her after she was bandaged up, because her sheet and quilt were pulled up to her chin, and it looked like she hadn't moved once. I wondered if Jenny was positive the girl wasn't in a coma. I pulled my chair closer to the bed and winced when it screeched against the floor.

Philip's eyes shot open. "Is she-!"

"She's fine! Shh! You'll wake up Pierre."

"Pierre?" Philip glanced down. "When did he-?" Then he saw the clothes. "Oh."

"I guess he wanted you to be comfortable, you haven't changed since yesterday morning and you still don't have shoes."

"Oh. Right." Philip stared off in space a moment before returning his gaze towards the girl.

"Aren't you going to go shower and change? There's a bathroom right through there." I gestured to the door conjoining this room and its bathroom. "Fresh towels should be on the rack."

"If she wakes up-"

"I'll let you know. Besides your brother's here. He has your face." I had left him with no option. He took up the clothes and sneakers from his brother's hands and was turning around when a bar of soap fell from inside a shoe.

"What's that?" I asked as he knelt to pick it up. "Our soap not good enough for you?" I teased.

"Nah, I'm just allergic to certain kinds," Philip started to turn again.

"It was nice of him to bring it."

"Yeah, but he's allergic too so it was probably just second nature. We always bring soap with us when we stay somewhere. I can't count the times I've packed it for him."

"Staying somewhere, huh? I think we should start charging you." I smirked.

"Funny." Philip smiled glanced down at his brother for a second and then shut the door to the bathroom behind him, I heard the shower turn on minutes later.

I guess it was the quiet room and the sound of even breathing but I found my early morning catching up with me and the next thing I knew it Philip was shaking me awake.

"She's waking up! She's waking up!" His voice was hushed.

"Good, doesn't mean I have to," I mumbled uncomprehending until I heard the words. "Oh my God! Where am I?" then, I bolted awake.

"Shh! Shh! It's okay Claire, It's okay!" Philip grabbed hold of her arms to stop her from moving off the bed. An act that I'm sure would not bode well for her injuries.

"Is the-is the-"

"Nothings going to hurt you, you're safe." Philip finally got her to look him in the eyes.

"You-you-so its real. It really happened." Her lips started trembling.

"Yes, but you're safe here. It's okay." Philip sat on the side of the bed and stroked her hair out of her face.

"I'll go get Jenny." I moved toward the door.

"Don't, get Pierre to do it." Philip concentrated on soothing the girl's nerves.

I moved around the bed to shake the other Carver brother. "Wha-?" He started.

"No time. Go get Jenny. The girl is awake." Pierre was up in a flash.

"Oh my God! There's two of you?!" Claire jumped when Pierre's head appeared.

"It's okay, he's my twin, he's safe." Philip reassured.

Pierre snorted, "Only in a situation like this would I be considered safe." I pushed him out of the room before his natural disposition could distress her.

I turned back to the girl just as she began her questions. She had calmed somewhat. Assessing I suppose that she wasn't in any immediate danger and trusting Philip she began to ask questions. "Where am I? Why didn't you take me to a hospital?"

These questions were directed at Philip, assuming he was the one that made the decision to bring her here so it was he who answered. "You're at Wolf Trail Inn in northern Vermont. Our town doesn't have a real hospital so I brought you here to the inn, there's a woman here who's been taking care of you. She knows medicine."

Not medicine in the traditional sense but she didn't need to know that.

"O-Kay…well why haven't you contacted my family?"

"We didn't find a wallet with your things, we didn't know who to get in touch with." I answered honestly gesturing to the tattered jeans I had placed with her shirt and jacket.

"How about the cops?" Claire's head was gaining clarity. She knew something was amiss, and I was sure there would be consequences when she connected the dots.

"There are authorities on the look out for an animal that's been attacking people in the area. We didn't want them questioning you and bothering you while you were still in shock." I hedged.

"But if I'm important to an investigation, I could tell them what I saw- where I was. I know what I saw." Her eyes blazed in great focus when she said this. Yes I bet a loup-garou attack was something that stayed with you.

"What is it you saw?" I pried.

"Wait a minute who are you people anyway? Why should I tell you what I know?" Suspicion. The human trait that always caught us.

"My name is Vivian Devereux and this is Philip Carver. I own the inn here with my husband. Philip found you in the woods on our property." That was a normal enough statement right? Nothing to arise suspicion?

"Your property? But I wasn't that far out of the city when I was drug off. I had a flat on the highway only miles from Bayville-I was going to see my aunt."

"Bayville? But that's…" I trailed off. The killer was abducting people from all over the state and having their bodies show up around the valley. It was purposefully drawing attention to us, another body and this town would be crawling with human authorities. Someone had to hate us with passion to go to those lengths.

"Where is this?" She asked again.

"It doesn't matter. Claire this is very important, I need you to tell me everything that happened, starting with after the flat tire."

Philip looked at me questioningly as I stared into the girl's eyes with frightening intensity, probably wondering why I suddenly needed to know everything.

But Claire did not answer me, because as she met my intense gaze she recognized me.

She started stumbling across the bed away from me dodging Philip's arms as he grabbed for her. "You! You were the second wolf! You were going to eat me!"

"No, no, I wasn't. I was saving you! You have to listen. We are not the bad guys. We're trying to protect you. Philip came to rescue you because I called him so I could go after your attacker. We've been trying to catch it for weeks but it keeps evading us. We won't hurt you. But we just can't have you running around telling everyone what you saw. When this is all over we promise to help you get back to Bayville or wherever it is you come from. But for right now we need your help."

All this was said as she hobbled backwards, crawling away from us to the door. We were saved by Jenny.

"What is going on here?" Jenny cried out when with a jolt of strength surprising for someone in her condition Claire tried to thrust herself out the door through her legs.

Philip stopped her. Grabbing her by the arm and pulling her to a position where he could pick her up he started carrying her back to the bed, probably opening a couple of her wounds by doing so but I wasn't going to be the one complaining later.

"It's okay," "We're safe," "We're the good guys," "We won't hurt you, I won't hurt you," "We trying to help," was the steady mantra he tried to soothe with as she kicked and flailed with a force that both surprised and impressed me for a human girl her size, not even taking into account her injuries. It was not a surprise seeing this, her amazing sense of self-preservation, that I had had found her alive. She must have put on a very good fight.

"Now listen-" I started but was cut off as Gabriel's heavy footfalls alerted his approach seconds before he burst through the door.

"What is it?" I jumped up the moment I saw his face all thoughts of the girl's distress vanished.

"Viv, baby…" Gabriel's voice was full of regret and sorrow.

"What? What is it?" I was growing frantic, "Tell me!"

"It's your brother…he was-" Gabriel started.

"No! No!" I started shaking uncontrollably.

"Vivian, wait let me finish. While your brother was chasing bunnies near the edge of the woods he was attacked. Not killed or taken away-just harmed. There was a note-"

"I don't care about a damn note, take me to Kaleb!" I started for the door, pulling Jenny with me. I didn't care if the girl had pulled stitches and bled to death, my brother was all that mattered.

My poor baby brother was bleeding terribly from the head. There were gashes on his arms and legs and he was missing a pinky toe. I held my weeping mother while Jenny wrapped up the hole of exposed tissue that should have held a toe and Sybil held a cloth to his small forehead to stem the bleeding there, bleeding Jenny said not to worry about because head wounds always bled a lot and looked worse than they were. Jenny also said we were lucky Kaleb was in his fur when he was attacked otherwise his injuries would be much worse. Neither Esme nor I could even think of that. Tomas was beside himself, he couldn't even stay in the room, this was his only pup.

"Where's papa?" Kaleb was groggy but still conscious. He found his loss of toe cool. He was four, so being alive was all that mattered, and getting a funky disfigurement that set him apart was awesome, something to brag about.

"Tomas is just outside the door buddy, keeping guard so no more big bad wolfs carry you off." I lied easily. In reality this ordeal had reduced the soft loup-garou to tears and he had taken to the forest to hide them.

Kaleb was just about to say something when a bob of caramel curls and smiles skipped into the room.

"Abbey, you can't be in here right now." Jenny scolded her attention momentarily diverted.

"It's okay Jenny, I don't mind!" Kaleb quickly grabbed for the little girl's hand. Jenny glanced hopelessly at Esme and I.

"It's okay, she'll probably be a good distraction." I nodded as Abbey crawled up in the four-year-old's toddler bed with him.

"Ha ha, now I'm not just two years older, now I have one more toe!" the little girl giggled at my brother.

"Oh, yeah, well…boys are better."

"Sure they are." Abbey sat up straight to demonstrate that she was also a head taller than he.

Kaleb attempted to sit up higher and almost immediately winced in pain. "Are you okay Kaleb?" All joking aside Abbey was just as scared for him as we were.

"'Course I am," Kaleb mumbled almost incoherently through his teeth wincing again as Jenny dabbed something on a wound.

"Hey, Kaleb, what did the little pig say to the big bad wolf?"

"What?" And so the distractions began. I had to hand it to the kid, she knew just what to say when the rest of us could only worry.

Gabriel entered Kaleb's bedroom sometime later, gesturing with a jerk of his head to follow him out. I did, Kaleb would be fine, there was nothing I could do here that our mother, Abbey or Jenny couldn't do just as well.

"You okay?" He asked pulling me towards the front room of Tomas and Esme's cabin.

"Yeah. Ready to hear about the note too, sorry about earlier."

"No problem," Gabriel pulled me into a hug. "Come on, its up at the inn, Jacque's looking over it."

"When did he get here?"

"Sometime after you left. He was coming to see about patrols, lucky coincidence it was right when I was about to send for him."

"Gabriel, Vivian!" Pierre spotted us as he jogged out of the back screen doors. "I was just about to go looking for you, the girl's calmed down, she's ready to talk."

"Claire." Philip corrected coming up behind him, "Claire's ready to talk."

**Well…that seems like a nice place to stop for the... er morning. The next chapter is one of answers to the questions; What was Philip doing in the forest the other morning? What is Claire going to tell us? What does the note say? And maybe, just maybe, who the attacker is…dun dun dun. **

_**Review! **_

_:D melissaturkey _

_p.s. In Part of a Pack I started something where I ask you (the collective you) what your favorite bits or words were out of each chapter, for instance in this one my favorite part was ..._

"Oh my God! There's two of you?!" Claire jumped when Pierre's head appeared.

"It's okay, he's my twin, he's safe." Philip reassured.

Pierre snorted, "Only in a situation like this would I be considered safe."

_what was your favorite part? word used? let me know! review :) _


	6. Suspicion and a Spy

**Sorry its been so long! **

**But its here now. Yay! **

**Blood or Chocolate: A New Generation, Part 1 **

**Chapter 6: Suspicion and Spies**

I was torn. On the one hand I had a note, something that could give me a way to find the killer and avenge my brother. On the other I had a human who knew what we were. I was the only one who could handle this one. She knew me and she was ready to talk to _me. _I could only imagine how she would clam up if Gabriel or Jacque came in to speak with her.

Funny how the moment something involving humans came up I noticed how different and intimidating we all really were. I had almost-in the harmony of the valley-forgotten there was any difference between us and the bank-tellers or the little old lady down the road. It surprised me that these instincts could show their faces the moment things went wrong.

I guess that's what happened with Claire, she was ordinary up until she had to fight to survive. It really was extraordinary how she managed to fight against her attacker and later us in her room…I wondered-no if she had loup-garou blood it would have presented itself when she was attacked.

In the end it was Gabriel who made my decision for me. "Go with the twins, you need to take care of that. Jacque and I will deal with the note, and you can always help us after you're done."

He was right. So after kissing him roughly goodbye I followed the twins to the human girl.

Claire was sitting up in bed and despite herself her face lit up when Philip entered. Apparently she didn't like being alone with Jenny and her "medical" supplies.

She had calmed. She was propped up with soft pillows while Jenny re-stitched and padded her various ripped wounds. She winced occasionally-despite the local anesthetic.

When she met my gaze this time she didn't flinch away or cry out, she just watched me as I approached her bed cautiously and sat at the edge by her feet. Pierre stayed hovering at the door not sure what to do with himself.

"Go to Jacque-ask him if you can help in a different patrol. I'm going to be too busy for a while to lead you."

"Sure Viv," He left the room quietly, shutting the door behind him. That elicited a gulp from Claire-who I'm sure was doing her best not to belie her calm.

"So you really do-I mean you are a…leader of all of them?" She took the opportunity to start. I was glad because I didn't know what to say.

"Only half the loup-garou of the town. Another couple leads the rest. How'd you know?"

My eyes rested on Philip the moment Claire's did. "Philip explained a lot to me-not everything- but enough to understand."

I continued to shoot daggers at Philip. Regardless of what I had planned on telling her it was not his place.

"Look Viv, I know I might have overstepped my boundaries a bit but it was the only way to calm her and you were going to have to tell her anyway, the law-"

"The laws of your pack do not apply to mine. I found her. My pack decides her fate not yours-let alone you. Understand?"

In truth I knew I would follow valley tradition. I did not want to kill this girl so swearing her-or threatening her-to secrecy and making her live in the valley was really my only other option but I still did not like Philip thinking he had the right to make this decision. He was already making me keep things from Gabriel that could be important to what was going on around here just to save his ass, and now just because he'd gotten the girl to trust him he thought he could decide what we did with her?

"And what do you think you're going to do with me?" Claire also didn't appear to like it when people talked about her fate like she wasn't even there.

"Probably just make you swear not to tell a soul about the things you've seen here, now will you tell us what happened? Starting with when you were abducted."

Claire's eyes were cold for a minute like she didn't believe I was telling her the whole truth. Well she was right, but I wasn't about to forbid her from leaving before I got any information from her. I nodded for her to start from the beginning.

"I live with my uncle in Bayville. My parents are…gone. Anyway I was going to visit by aunt in Manchester when I blew a tire. I pulled over, got out of the car, and bent down to look at the tire and-" Claire broke off, not the way a traumatized person would, but the way an old person did to collect their thoughts. "I-I remember someone grabbing me from behind. Thin arms. I remember thinking when I was being pulled back that someone that thin couldn't be so strong. I tried to fight but…anyway I don't remember anything until I woke up in a cave, tied up."

"Describe the cave, was there anything unusual about it?" I pried.

"I know it was slanted, you know like part of it was on higher ground than the other half, it was pretty dirty, there were claw marks on the walls and I think it was near a stream…"

"Which way?"

"Huh?"

"What direction was the stream flowing?"

"Um…I…I'm not sure…all I know is when I escaped-"

"You escaped?" I asked skeptically.

"Yeah well it…the creature, person, whatever it was, was gone when I woke up. And my dad had taught me how to dislocate my thumbs to wriggle out of almost anything so I got out of the ropes that were holding my hands together and I ran. I think I was running down hill, I didn't know where I was, I was just trying to get away from that cave. I didn't think to look at the surroundings, I should have. I knew to, but…but when you're in a situation like that you just can't…you just can't think." Claire trailed off for a moment.

"Anyway I had been running for what felt like miles, I was exhausted and…then I thought, since I was so far away and since I had gotten away without being noticed that even if my attacker realized I was gone only seconds after I left, whoever it was wouldn't know what direction I had gone in…so it was okay to rest a minute. But I was factoring a human killer into this equation. Not a …an animal." The girl paused voice bitter.

"It caught up with me. I didn't see its face, or its body really. Just a shapeless form in old coveralls and then…then it sort of exploded and I couldn't…I couldn't believe…My parents always told me to suspect the unexpected but…it was so surreal, so strong. I barely had the brains to try and fight it off. I can't believe I begged…" Claire looked more ashamed over her weakness than scared of us now.

I let all that sink in for a moment before asking, "Before the attacker changed into its fur did you see any identifiable markings? Scars? Long hair? Short? Six fingers or toes?" I quipped, the room seemed too tense.

Claire laughed but then turned serious again. "I don't think the hair was very long…half way down the neck maybe…I guess but I didn't get a look at a face. I guess once it was a… wolf I noticed its face looked kind of distorted. Or more like its…muzzle was disfigured…It didn't look like yours." Her eyes darted over me.

Muzzle…jaw….throat. I suddenly had a thought. "Claire, I need to see your leg." I pulled down her sheet before she could answer.

"Vivian I don't think that's a-" Jenny started.

But I was already peeling back the bandage over the gape in her leg. I looked along the ridged of her wound ignoring the smell of blood and flesh. Sometimes humans could seem like prey, weak and bloody like that.

I saw what I needed to see. I moved toward the door.

"What? What is it?" Philip was right behind me.

"I can't speak with you right now," I pushed through the door. I had to get to Gabriel.

"But-"

"Philip." I turned on him in the empty hall, "I don't know where you get off questioning me. I know you think that because you brought her back to the inn you somehow have right to decide and know everything concerning her but-"

"That's not-that's not why I'm interested, I want, to make sure…."

"She's fine, she's not upset anymore. I don't think she'll be very traumatized and there's no reason for you to be so concerned. Hell, I don't even know why the hell I'm covering your tail, you still haven't told me what you were doing in that area in your skin in the first place. For all I know you could be her attacker and you're just making sure she doesn't talk." I was bursting at the seams with my new revelation and this conversation was only holding me off.

"I was-" Philip started but then checked his voice that had risen with the rise of mine.

I pulled him into an empty room. "Go on."

"I was meeting with someone." Philip's face was stony.

"Who?" I questioned. He didn't really think I would let him leave it at that did he?

"Does it matter?" Philip stared into my eyes for a minute realizing I would never back down. "I was having an affair."

I couldn't help it. My eyes widened with shock. Philip was the last person I would suspect…

"Who?" I asked again, this time out of morbid curiosity, the revelation I had made taking a backseat momentarily.

"Bridget Lefevre." Philip's eyes fell to his feat.

"Jacque's sister? But she's…engaged." I was still processing that this was Philip I was having this conversation with and not his twin, who I expected this sort of thing from, not Philip.

"That's why its called an affair Vivian." Philip's voice was cold. And I thought about it. No wonder he didn't want to let this get out. He would already be in deep for messing around with an engaged female, but for that female to be his leader's sister…

It did not surprise me of Bridget, the first loup-garou I met when I arrived in Green Mountain Valley. She had been flirting with Gabriel the first time I met her, though that wasn't the only reason she rubbed me the wrong way: she was also Jacqueline Delvin's sister and a little too like her for her own good sometimes….

Which got me back on task.

"Look, Philip I'll help you sort all this out later but for now…forget I said anything okay? But I really have to do something. I think I might know who the attacker is."

When I entered the lounge and saw Gabriel and Jacque deep in thought on opposite sides of the room I knew that the two males where frustrated. They could not get anything from the note and there was too much testosterone in the room circulating between the two leaders. They needed air, but they needed answers more.

"I think I know who the attacker is." It was out of my mouth before they had acknowledged I was even there.

"What? Who?" Jacque stood up at once.

"Your sister."

"What? Bridget? But she's not…she not like Jacqueline, she's not spiteful or vengeful. She's just a tease."

"No, not Bridget, though I don't think she's as innocent as you make her out to be. No, I meant Jacqueline."

Jacque snorted. "Giles exiled her years ago, she couldn't be."

"All the more reason for it to be her, just like you said, Jacqueline is vengeful and spiteful, and Giles always thought she had the potential to be this way if she didn't get what she wanted. And really who else do we know that has a vendetta against Green Mountain Valley, that would purposely point a finger at us? No one knows our pack is here, and you guys have always been peaceful. Who else could it be?"

"Maybe that's all true but why now? Why not right after she was exiled?"

"Because she had to recuperate from her fight with me, and she wasn't sure if Giles had died or not. She had to be sure. Which means there has to be someone from inside the valley telling her what's going on, what all our next moves are..."

"A spy." Jacque said, but then returned to his original point, "You still don't know for sure."

"Yes, I do. I have proof. Claire's wound on her leg is just like the ones on the other bodies, bites too large for a Green Valley native-"

"There-" Jacque started.

"No-listen- too large for a native if they didn't have a distorted jaw. When I had a hold of her throat in that fight I pulled up her jugular and into her jaw. She was lucky I was stopped before I ripped her head off, but I did rip some tendons attached to her jaw bones. Persia had been worried about the effects it would have on her jaw and vocal cords. What if it permanently loosened her jaw so her bite was bigger? It could give the allusion of a bigger mouth, a bigger loup-garou when really…"

"When really it could be the small lean frame you saw in the woods." Gabriel finished for me, speaking for the first time since I entered the lounge. I met his gaze from across the room, he understood. But he also had something else to say. "Vivian, I really think you should read this note."

And he held it out toward me.

**Looks like a cliffy, sounds like a cliffy…yep it is, but I should have another chapter out in a few days…maybe tomorrow so don't feel too bad : ) **

**And nightow9189? There will be more Gabriel in the next chapter I promise, lots of Gabriel in fact ;) but this one needed some Claire, just for plot sake :D **

**Everyone if you have any questions or comments feel free to ask and leave a review, a small single sentence even would be greatly loved :D **

_:D melissaturkey _


	7. Just A Little Note

**Yes, this was due last Friday, but I was distracted half way through writing it so here it is, late but with a few (emphasis on the few) extra pages. :D **

**For the anonymous reviewer Jessica, you always wonder just the right things and it tears me up I cant reply, so in short, I'm so happy you picked up on something between Philip and Claire and how his affair still doesn't explain his…protectiveness over her…but that's in this chapter too! Yay! **

**Blood or Chocolate: A New Generation, Part 1**

**Chapter 7: Just a Little Note. **

I stepped forward and took the piece of paper from Gabriel's hands. From someone who's been living the life of a wild exile for years and keeping captives tied in caves the folded paper was not yellowed or dirty, it was just a blank sheet of crisp white paper-printer paper. She must have gotten it from her spy.

I glanced up into Gabriel's face to see if it held any hint of what I would see when I unfolded it, but there was none. He kept his face carefully neutral and hidden from me and it made me wonder how bad the note could be. Jacque was inconspicuously trying to look busy on the far side of the lounge looking over the books and magazines we kept for guests. This at least gave me a clue. It would be personal.

I carefully unfolded it, and written in handwriting sloppy from disuse was:

_So clever of you Vivian to chase me from my prey and look for me downstream, but not smart enough to recognize I was hiding right on the edge of town all along. I was surprised when I heard you and Gabriel hadn't found a way to have pups of your own, but your little brother will work just as well. _

_You see I was very angry that you took my snack from me. And it made me realize I had to show you how close I am. You know, I can pick off anyone you care about, so easily. I'm that close. Your poor brother just had to be an example of this. _

_Don't try to fight me Vivian, its time the humans found out about the secrets of the oh-so- peaceful Green Mountain Valley. _

_See you when the time comes…_

The words rang in my head long after I set the note down: _Your poor brother just had to be an example of this. _"I'm going to kill her."

"Now Vivian," Jacque started.

"No, this proves it. The note was intended for me, the attacker wants to mess with my head, that's why it was my brother that was attacked. Jacqueline did it when I first moved here and now she's doing it again. You can't tell me that didn't sound like your sister!"

"I wasn't going to say that, I was just going to point out that maybe we shouldn't focus on killing her right now. We should focus on finding out who her spy is, who she's staying with."

Gabriel was still being unusually quiet; I looked at him now as he chose to speak. "Your sister Bridget lives on the edge of the woods near here doesn't she?"

"No, not Bridge, like I said before she's not like Jacqueline. She's-"

I cut him off, "It's not her." You can't be engaged, plan a wedding, and keep an affair a secret and still have time to play spy for your vindictive sister you haven't seen in nearly five years.

"Are you sure?" Gabriel didn't ask me how I knew, he trusted me, and I was grateful. Betraying Philip's secret in front of Jacque would not help matters.

"Yes."

"Okay then, let's look at everyone who lives near the edge of the woods…" Jacque started then realized that implied all of our pack.

I got a little defensive. "Why would someone from my pack help your sister?"

"I never said-" Jacque started, "It's just she said she was close so I assumed-"

"Yeah, I know, I'm sorry I just…" I was stressed and I was tired. The day had hardly begun and I was already loosing my head, but that could be more from finding out who our attacker was than anything. It just had to be Jacqueline, didn't it?

"We should have a party go around and check all the caves, and have the sheriff; George, Bernard and Brandon go through people's homes." Gabriel started planning, of course he would pick three loup-garou from Jacque's pack, who in addition to being revered as the late Giles Delvin's ancient sons, also were apart of the human police force in Green Mountain Valley.

"But that's an invasion of privacy-" Jacque began.

"It's the only way." Gabriel turned to me, "I'm going to start telling everyone who the attacker is. Why don't you stay here and make sure the patrols are still ran as planned?"

I would have much rather went out and checked the caves but with Gabriel going around town spreading word, and Jacque no doubt helping with the cave search, someone had to keep things running around here and we all agreed that Charlotte didn't need to be anywhere she could be in harms way. If Jacqueline wanted to hurt people we cared about the most devastating hurt would be to attack a leader's pregnant mate.

"I'll send Charlotte over here; she needs to be in a place with lots of loup-garou protection…" Jacque's thoughts seemed to follow mine, moving out of the room to get to work.

"Gabriel?" I asked when Jacque was gone, stepping closer to him.

"Yeah?" His voice seemed somewhat distant.

"You've been really quiet," It was a statement and a question in one.

"I just can't believe after all this time she would throw that in our face, it doesn't have anything to do with what's going on now." I didn't have to ask what he meant.

"It was targeted for me, to make me feel inadequate. But it's not going to work. I've gotten over all that, we'll go down that road when we're ready. But I've stopped beating myself up about it."

"Maybe I haven't." Gabriel's voice was so quiet I thought I'd misunderstood.

"Wha-" I started.

"Maybe I feel a little inadequate; the other day you said something about envying Charlotte because she could get pregnant without even trying. Maybe I feel envious of Jacque that he can get his mate pregnant."

"Gabriel its not-it has nothing to do with you. If you wanted, you could go around and get every female in this whole town pregnant. You just got stuck with the one person who-"

"It's my fault you were in a position to get poisoned in the first place. If I had forbid you from seeing the human-"

"I wouldn't have listened! Gabriel you have to see what she's doing. Just what she did to me last time. Pushing just the right buttons to make us all stressed and incompetent. This is what Jacqueline does! She's better at it than she is killing! With-what was it two paragraphs?- she has you feeling like shit, me worrying about Kaleb, and Jacque concerned for Charlotte's safety. Don't beat yourself up over something that is beyond your control."

"You're right." Gabriel sighed and pulled me into his arms, the hard warm blanket of him surrounding me for a moment. "Just a touchy subject around here. Especially since…well I think Tasha and Ulf wanted to wait to announce it until after this whole ordeal was over but now even one of the five is becoming a dad before me, it doesn't seem fair." Gabriel's mouth quirked into a smile.

"Ulf?" I felt my eyes widen. "Well that's great Tasha always wanted to make a family of her own, I'm glad they're making it happen."

It was a bittersweet moment, the two of us holding each other, happy for Ulf and Tasha but sad for ourselves and also mad that we had let just a little note get to us. I stretched up onto my tiptoes and kissed my mate deeply letting the familiar shivers run down my spine. "We will have that, and I'm not just saying it this time. We will."

Then we broke apart, each having duties, but the promise hung between us, stronger than anything Jacqueline could have said or wrote.

The first stop I made was to Rolf Wagner's cabin to organize for his patrol to go next and for him to spread the word that they were on the look out for a thinner, wilder version of Jacqueline's fur form. It would put a more definite picture in their mind. Then I went back to the inn to check on Claire. I hoped my abrupt departure hadn't frightened her.

Philip was still there, standing like a guard at the foot of her bed, nodding his head as if she'd just got done telling him something. Sure enough, the first thing he said when he noticed me was a request from the girl, "Is there anyway we could get Claire some clothes to wear?"

I was wondering when she'd ask about that, the girl had kept her sheet tucked up to her chin since she'd been conscious. But I guess if I was human and had not spent my childhood running bare and natural under the moon with my age-mates I wouldn't be comfortable lying in bed with a boy in my room in nothing but panties and an undershirt.

"Sure, I can rustle up something …the triplets are about your size." I didn't tell her that the triplets were only 12, she might feel self-conscious of the fact she was so small for her age. "About before…well I had just realized who your attacker was, I'm sorry if I disturbed you." I felt a little apologetic, after all in a day or so I would have to tell her she could never leave this town. She should at least feel welcome.

"It's okay, Philip…he said you were cool. That's why I decided to talk to you; I saw how you reacted when your brother was attacked, and I figured you all couldn't be so bad if…" She trailed off, looking to Philip for the words. He just smiled at her and she smiled back and the trail of thought seemed to vanish between them.

I watched this with vague fascination. I wondered what was going on between them. Oh well I had to finish my discussion with Philip sometime. "Philip can I see you for a minute?"

"Sure," Philip faced changed when he looked away from Claire and realized what I wanted to talk about, but he followed me from the room.

"You want to know about me and Bridget." It was a statement, not a question.

"Yes, and you and Claire."

His face held a flicker of shock. "Claire?"

"Yeah, you guys seem very…close and she trusts you completely, and you've been so worried about her…"

"I know its weird but she seems familiar. I've never seen her in my life but its like I've always known her. She's…" Philip's voice trailed off, but he didn't need to explain. I understood.

"What about Bridget?" I couldn't help ask.

"What about Bridget? She's getting married; it was never going to go anywhere. She was just using me."

"So its over?"

"Yeah, I haven't talked to her in a couple days, but I think she's got the message. I haven't exactly been returning anyone's calls."

I nodded. "If you were with Bridget all this time than how did you keep showing up in the woods at the exact time to find nearly all the bodies? You and Pierre?"

"Bridge was pretty paranoid about being found out so, instead of coming to her house from the road, I would double back through the woods. People started wondering about all the time I was spending out in the forest so Pierre offered to lead them off on a little run through the woods in a different direction, pretending to be me, while I was really…"

"Yeah, I get it."

"Anyway, we were just in the woods more than anybody else I guess."

A deception of a different kind, one that didn't have anything to do with Jacqueline and her attacks… "In all that time you never saw anything-apart from the bodies I mean?"

"No…but then again I was a little…distracted. You could try Pierre but he'll probably give you the same answer."

"Nah, that's okay. I trust you."

Philip snorted. "I recently admitted to having an affair with an engaged woman and all you have to say is 'I trust you?'"

I touched his arm, "You're a good guy Philip, and so is your brother. I can't believe he covered for you like that."

"Yeah, well, he was just so amused by "Saint Philip's" downfall he couldn't help but go along with it. He's a sucker for trouble and irony. I've never had to help him with anything like this before, and he's supposed to be the 'bad' one. He enjoyed laughing in my face."

I smirked, "Maybe Saint Philip needed to be knocked off his horse."

Philip's grin was wistful, "Well I'd better get back…" His voice trailed off his head turning in the direction of Claire's room.

I laughed, "Oh yeah, Princess Claire can't be without her white knight, the one and only Saint Philip for more than a minute. She'll melt!" I teased. Philip shoved me down the hall but grinned, "See ya, Viv. Hey, wait, do you want me to go check on those clothes?"

"No, I'll do it, I'm on my way out to the cabins anyway."

"Okay."

I moved out to the cabins ignoring the buzz of excitement that surrounded the inn now that we knew who the killer was. There was no triumph for me in in knowing. If anything it only meant we knew who we were up against, and that meant knowing that more than just attacks would be headed our way now that we knew. And she was good at bids for power, that would come too. I wasn't happy about that.

I stopped in front of the small cabin that had been painted a cheery, bright golden yellow: the home of Gabriel's mother and sisters. I tried to come here as little as possible.

Naomi Devereux was not a very cheerful person, despite the exterior of her cabin, she tended to sit at home and drink. Sometimes doing something productive like mending pillow-cushions and washing bedding for the inn. She helped alter my wedding dress four years ago, and she was pretty creative, but she just didn't have a heart to do much more than sit around. Esme once told me that Naomi used to be like Jenny right after Paul died: crying and weak, and needy. She didn't have the spirit most of our females had. She'd been raised by a former leader who thought females were subordinate and needed a male to keep them happy. So Naomi got a man, Erick Devereux, one who coincidentally had no sense of responsibility or duty and was gone more than he was home. She was no longer needy and weak, just out of it and oblivious.

Gabriel had told me that when his father was home she was happy and had an almost unrecognizable personality, but I had never seen it. I didn't even remember Erick Devereux, I knew he looked something like Gabriel, I'd seen pictures, but I couldn't place him ever really being a part of the pack.

I had always felt sympathy for the pitiful female and today was no exception when she answered the door with a blank face. "Hey, Naomi!" I smiled at her. "Did you hear we identified the killer?"

The statement was meant to be hopeful and sunny but she shivered at the last word. "Yeah, the girls told me." Her voice was monotonous.

"Speaking of the girls I was wondering if I could borrow any old clothes of theirs for Claire, the human girl staying at the inn."

"The one who was attacked?" Naomi's voice held a little infliction now.

It usually didn't take me this long to engage someone in a conversation. "Yes, that's the one, the only one right now actually, with it closed to guests and all…" I didn't know how to politely bring the conversation back to the clothes. Ironically it was Lucy who saved me, coming into the room from the small bedroom her and her sisters shared.

"What do you want?" Her blue eyes were sharp in a way her mother's weren't and cold in a way Gabriel's was when he looked upon someone he couldn't respect.

"Luce, what-?" Maggie came up behind her, shortly followed by Elsie who waved briefly at me with a unthinking smile before she was elbowed in the ribs by one of her sisters.

"I was wondering if any of you could spare some old clothes for Claire, the human that was attacked a few days ago." I addressed Maggie and Elsie, they were more likely to cave.

"I thought she was seventeen or something like that? Why are you asking us?" Well Lucy didn't say no outright.

"She is but she's pretty small for her age, and you three are mature for your's, I thought you'd be about the same size."

Lucy considered me a moment, glancing at her sisters as if telepathically telling them to let her handle this. "Alright." I waited for her but. "But we want to meet her."

"What?" I was surprised.

"If she's going to be staying in the valley she needs someone to show her around, we can do that." Lucy's explanation sounded perfectly reasonable.

"She doesn't know she has to stay yet, we're waiting until she's healed more and has calmed down some. She's still pretty spooked by all this."

"Then we won't say anything about her staying." Lucy looked at me evenly.

I considered this for a moment. On the one hand Lucy must have an ulterior motive, on the other Claire would be much more comfortable in clothes that fit her than in old ones of mine that were sure to be way too big…besides Claire had Philip to protect her, the triplets couldn't do anything with him around…

"Alright. Get some stuff and I'll take you to meet her." The three girls disappeared into the back again, leaving me alone with Naomi.

"Want to see a new cushion I designed?" Naomi asked blankly but obviously trying to make this less awkward. I think she sensed people felt kinda depressed and sad around her, but she tried.

When the triplets were ready with a garbage bag of old clothes they didn't wear anymore, I was almost sorry to leave Naomi. She seemed so lonely, and she really was lovely.

The triplets were really giggly on the way back to the inn and they did not need me to lead them to the room, of course they would know which one it was.

Philip and Claire were talking, softly as if someone might hear in the empty room. Claire's body was still covered with the sheet from head to toe but her arms were sticking out so she could talk and gesture with her hands. "Sorry to interrupt but, I brought some people you might like to meet. This is Lucy," I gestured to the dark haired girl in the middle of the three whose blue eyes set her apart. "This is Maggie," The taller girl with brown eyes smiled warmly; "And this is Elsie," the shorter girl, otherwise identical to the tallest waved. "And they brought clothes."

"Awesome, thanks you guys. I had clothes in my car but…its far away right now."

"No, problem." Lucy gave a friendly smile. "I bet you haven't showered in days, we can help with that, and getting some fresh clothes and things on." Lucy's head turned towards Philip in a clear expression that said, 'GET OUT!"

But Philip didn't start backing out until Claire nodded to Lucy, "That would be great, thanks."

"I guess I'll leave you ladies then…" Philip was almost to the door now.

"Good-bye, Philip." Claire's smile was genuine and special when she turned it on him.

"Bye." His regretful face was the last part of him seen before he shut the door behind him.

"Maybe we should get Jenny…" I started uncertainly as the three helped the girl from the bed careful of her wounds.

"Relax, we'll be careful. We won't let her get her wounds wet or anything," Elsie's face was utterly honest.

"Yeah, Aunt Persia was our real aunt you know." Maggie added.

"Do you need any help?" I offered.

"I'll be fine." Claire smiled at me, "I trust them." It was weird, but Claire seemed to be like that; she made snap judgments about people; who to trust, who was safe. I wouldn't have trusted Lucy Devereux, but that's why I wasn't Claire.

I found myself in the hall with the other Carver twin. "What are you doing here?" I asked as Pierre came walking towards me looking, if I didn't know him any better, depressed.

"Looking for Philip, have you seen him?" It was then that I recognized the expression, it was the same I'd seen only minutes before on Gabriel's mother's face: lonely and like he'd just lost his best friend.

"The triplets sent him away, just a second ago. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Pierre tried to say flippantly but came up short.

I led him into the same room Philip had made his confession in and shut the door. "Okay what's going on?" I led him to the bed and sat down.

Pierre swallowed. "Really, its nothing." The only men in my life that had ever confessed anything to me were the five and Gabriel, the people I counted in my corner. The twins were different. I loved them sure, they'd been friends for so long now it was hard to remember when they weren't around. They were like extra brothers, but we'd never really talked. I guess Jacqueline's presence in the valley was effecting more than just pack safety. The Carver twins were changing too. "Come on Pierre."

"I never thought I'd need anybody you know? I thought I could just live my life like I always had and nothing would change. Me and Phil, we've been together since ever. When our parents died, we were together, when Sue and Dave adopted us, we were together. When we moved out, we did it together, got a place together. I always thought it would be like that. I knew I'd never settle down and Philippe, he… he always went for the unobtainable girls, whether they were taken, pointless flings that wouldn't lead anywhere, or well, anyone he could never really be with. I thought we'd have our fun but the only thing we would ever really have was each other."

"But then this girl…he only met her like what, three days ago? And a majority of that time she was unconscious! And she's just as insanely obsessed with him… Its serious and they only just met. I…I guess I'm afraid of being alone now." Wow, of all the people.

"Look Pierre, you're brothers, you guys are close. Nothing can replace that-not even a girl."

Pierre looked at me a minute then sighed, "Thanks, Viv."

"Don't mention it. And I mean that-don't." But I hugged him fiercely, "Now lets get outta here before someone accuses you of being the Carver brother having an affair."

Pierre laughed and we parted ways.

I guess that small conversation with Pierre had distracted me from all of my own worries and it wasn't until I saw my mother's face that I remembered my little brother.

"What is it!" Esme had tears streaming down her face, her hands were shaking; she looked just like she did when we found out my father was caught in the fire.

"It's Tomas! He went on a run last night after Kaleb was hurt and he hasn't come home since!"

I mentally noted to kick his tail when he got back, running off like that when his son needed him, but it didn't surprise me; Tomas got scared when things got tough. This is what he did. "Mom I'm sure-"

"No, Vivian-you don't understand. He didn't run off. Mike just called. The FBI- they came to investigate- they found him in the forest."

**Think of that what you will…and then tell me in a review! I'm deadly curious for your reactions! Tell me what you think of the FBI nosing in, and also what development in the story you're looking forward to most. **

_(and yes I know I promised more Gabriel in this one and I really did plan on the entire last leg of the chapter to be nothing but Vivian and Gabriel with Kaleb and co. making an appearance, but the FBI rudely decided to be acknowledged in this chapter instead of the next (and who am I to disobey the government!) so that bit will have to be moved*sigh*. )_

_REVIEW :D melissaturkey _


	8. Enemy Upstairs

_**I have an announcement to make before we begin, in the last chapter where I officially introduced Gabriel's mother I made a goof with her name and called her Meredith in her dialogue when I previously named her Naomi, the mistake has been fixed, thanks to nightowl9189, so if anyone wants to go back and re-read that bit about her to make yourself better acquainted with NAOMI, Gabriel's mom, go ahead as she will have somewhat of a bigger role throughout this story. **_

_**Now shall we start? **_

_**Blood or Chocolate: A New Generation, Part 1. **_

_**Chapter 8: Enemy Upstairs**_

_Recap (__"What is it!" Esme had tears streaming down her face, her hands were shaking; she looked just like she did when we found out my father was caught in the fire._

"_It's Tomas! He went on a run last night after Kaleb was hurt and he hasn't come home since!"_

_I mentally noted to kick his tail when he got back, running off like that when his son needed him, but it didn't surprise me; Tomas got scared when things got tough. This is what he did. "Mom I'm sure-"_

"_No, Vivian-you don't understand. He didn't run off. Mike just called. The FBI- they came to investigate- they found him in the forest.") end of recap._

"The FBI?" I repeated in a daze, then snapped out of it terror building in my chest. "Is he okay?" I asked quickly.

"Yes, he was just running and he had changed back into his skin when the FBI came walking through looking for evidence about the killings. They thought he was a victim at first, standing in the middle of the woods naked, but-"

"Do they know about us?" I interrupted, brain jumping into an overdrive, protect the pack mentality.

"No, at least according to Mayer Mike. They brought him into the town office for questioning but as far as Mike knows Tomas has them convinced he's just a crazy local who likes to run around naked in the woods, Mike's backing him up so…"

"So when will he be released?"

"Well they didn't exactly arrest him but they're still questioning him-"

"What's going on?" Charlotte had just arrived. I remembered Jacque saying he was sending her over here to be safe but that seemed so long ago now.

"The FBI are involved, they're questioning Tomas. We have to spread the word around town that no one is to say a word about anything. Including the girl, they can't know about her. I don't know what she'd say if they questioned her."

"The FBI? Here?" Charlotte's eyes expressed shock then she pressed a hand to the bump on her belly and said, "I'll start calling my pack."

"No, no phones. Pick a few people to go around and spread the word, make sure there is no chance they can be overheard."

"Alright." Charlie didn't ask me what I was going to do, or any other pointless question, she went straight to work. That's why she was a born leader.

I turned to my mother who was still crying and slightly hysterical; I understood our safety had almost been compromised, but it was not a time to blubber.

"Go get Magda, Renata, Cybil, and Odessa, if anyone can spread the news around fast its them. Tell them what I told you, make sure everyone stays quiet and everyone stays out of the forest." As I mentally thanked the Moon goddess that the moon would not be full for weeks Esme rushed off to do her job.

When I moved back down the hall to Claire's room I felt a familiar presence coming up behind me. "Do you know?" Gabriel's words were quick.

"Yeah, I already sent Esme out to get people to spread the word to keep quiet and out of the woods. Are Jacque and the others still searching the caves?"

"Yes, when he gets back we'll have to stop the patrols, there's no way around it. We'll have to watch ourselves." Gabriel suddenly pulled me into a crushing embrace. I wanted to ask what that was for but there wasn't time.

"We have to find a way to hide the girl; do you think they will search the inn?" I asked instead.

"It depends on what they already know about us, if they do background checks they'll know about the previous attack in Virginia and the fire at that inn. They'll ask questions." Gabriel's jaw was a rock, all the muscles in his body squared and tense.

"Of course they will but will they suspect us?"

"It depends on what else Jacqueline did to draw attention to us. If it's just the attacks being drug to this area then they have nothing, but if there's something else she's done-"

"Gabriel, Vivian," Gregory's face was stiff as he interrupted. "These men just showed up at the door, they're asking to see the owners of this place."

"This is it." Gabriel squeezed my hand and we walked to the foyer where our honorary guests were waiting.

"Hello, anything I can do to help you gentlemen? I'm afraid the inn isn't open to guests right now." Gabriel said as we entered the room, ignorance was always best.

"Yes, actually, maybe you can help us. I'm-" Started a man in black slacks and a light blue dress shirt, he looked different from the rest of the small team who were either in dark jackets with the words FBI no doubt printed on the back and a few in plain indiscreet dark suits.

"We're from the Federal Bureau of Investigation," An older tougher looking man interrupted. He was one of the ones in the dark suits; he had a gruff, no nonsense demeanor that would have terrified me if he weren't only human. "And we're going to ask you a few questions."

Gabriel met his gaze like he had singled this man out as the leader before and was only now addressing him, "Why not?" He led us all into the lounge like we had nothing to hide. This wasn't the Maryland police that Gabriel could give a crude lie to and send away, but I didn't doubt that we could handle it.

Gabriel led me to a love seat and casually plopped down wrapping an arm around me, this was our home and we were going to be in charge, comfortable and nonchalant, leave them standing around awkwardly in their stiff suits.

The leader in the suit sat down opposite us in a leather armchair, the one that first spoke sat on the couch, the others kept standing in a loose formation ranging from the doorway to the center of the room where we were sitting. It was an offensive position, them standing nearly all around us but I didn't think Gabriel would choose this position without thought.

"What do you know about the attacks?" The leader started.

"We think they're terrible, and happening so close…we were worried for our guests. We thought it was best to close up the inn until the attacks stopped, even if this is the busiest time of year for us-better safe than sorry." I shed a few layers of thick skin to sound scared as hell.

"You didn't answer the question, what do you know about them?" The leader's eyes bored into mine.

"I'm sorry we didn't catch your name." Gabriel's voice was calm, his body languidly relaxed into the loveseat next to mine, but his eyes held a mild threat.

"Special Agent Charles Mahone of the FBI." He said the title like it was his given name, he'd obviously had authority for awhile, but Gabriel was not intimidated.

"Well Charles, I'm Gabriel Devereux and this is Vivian, we'll be happy to answer any questions you have in just a moment. My mother-in-law seems to need something." It was then that I noticed Esme shifting her feet awkwardly in the entranceway where two of the six agents were barring her from coming any closer. Gabriel kept my hand in his as he excused us to step out into the hall.

"What is it?" I asked when we were out of earshot plus a few more feet besides.

"They let Tomas go and he's at home. I just wondered if we were going to tell them about Kaleb." Esme paled at the mention of her injured son.

"No, we don't need them asking him any questions. He's a bright pup but…he's a bit of a blabbermouth without meaning to be." Gabriel answered logically and I was glad, I didn't want my brother mixed up in all this.

"Alright, well I think we're needed." I gestured to the doorway where Agent Mahone was staring at us shrewdly.

"Where were we?" Gabriel asked when we were seated again.

"Well," The blue shirted man started.

"What do you know about the attacks?" Agent Mahone was starting to remind me of a bulldog.

"Same as everyone, must be some sort of animal dragging people back to its lair. People around here think it's a mountain lion, bears eat fish and berries right?" Gabriel looked to me for confirmation.

"I guess, I don't really know much about bears or mountain lions. We just know what's on the news reports; it's got a lot of people in the valley nervous." I added.

"What about rumors that its abduction and torture?" The man in the blue shirt asked. Mahone glared at him, obviously a rookie that hadn't mastered the "don't tell-question" policy.

"Wow, we haven't heard any rumors like that." I shrugged my sholders at Gabriel. "Is that what you guys think it is?" I asked innocently.

"We don't know much more than you do, people are disappearing all over the state and then showing up in the valley chewed to bits, that's all I know at least." Another agent who had decided to take a seat put in.

The atmosphere was decidedly relaxed; the agents had reacted to Gabriel's relaxation. It was an instinctual reaction that sometimes happened to humans around us. Subconsciously they sensed the animal within our skin and were tenser when we looked angered or ready to attack, but when we appeared calm or gentle their minds were tricked, they felt more relaxed and let their guard down. Apparently this was true for FBI agents as well because their offensive stance was relaxing as they bought into our clueless act. Unfortunately the same could not be said about Agent Mahone.

"Well, thank you for your time. Say, you wouldn't mind opening the inn for a few agents in need of a place to stay would you? You guys after all are the only inn in town." Mahone had a sly smile on his face. I wanted to throw him out on his ass is what I wanted to do but Gabriel had other ideas.

"Sure, why not. I'll get Renata to set up some rooms for you, third floor okay?" Gabriel agreed congenially.

And so the nightmare began. There was no way we could move the girl now, and we couldn't have people moving in and out of room 4 all the time, that would look suspicious.

"I don't know what we should do. I got word to the triplets and Philippe to keep her in there and quiet and as inconspicuous as possible but pretty soon they're going to notice how often we go into that one specific room." I told Charlotte, Esme, and Jenny over a sleeping Kaleb's form. Tomas was in the corner, quietly watching his son; he was pretty ashamed of himself, so we were doing our best not to give him too hard a time.

"Hey, Tomas, thanks for running off, now we have the FBI breathing down our necks. Literally." Well not all of us. The five were a little slow sometimes.

"God Finn, shut your trap, don't you see we interrupted an official strategy meeting." Willem smirked.

"Ooh, an official strategy meeting, can I watch?" Greg followed.

"Get out guys, you'll wake up Kaleb." I looked pointedly at the pup with light tauny brown curls curled up under his covers. In a few weeks Jenny thought he would be able to walk normally.

"We came to see the little tyke." Ulf looked at Kaleb in a whole new light since he found out Tasha was pregnant.

"Well you still need to be quiet." Charlie looked at them crossly. Her temper flared at the weirdest moments lately.

"_Anyway_. I don't know how we're going to keep her from them when she's staying right under they're noses." I brought us back to our discussion.

"You could always pretend you're renovating that room because of water damage or whatever, or just repainting." The suggestion came from the doorway. Pierre had arrived.

"That's actually an amazing idea. The triplets and Philip could pretend it was their punishment for doing something and Jenny could be watching them to make sure they don't goof off. Maybe while one of the triplets is helping Claire shower we could hide all the clothes and stuff and have an agent see the other two and Philip actually painting or whatever while the other one was washing paint out of her hair or something, that way they have no reason to suspect that isn't what they're really doing." I took the idea and ran with it. "Good idea Pierre!"

"Yeah, I guess." He still sounded bummed.

"Hey, how about you help out. Since it was your idea, you could you know paint or hang around, supervise…"

I don't think anyone had ever given Pierre the responsibility of supervising anyone or anything. He looked slightly taken aback, but it was an opportunity to hang out with his brother. "Sure, why not?" He smiled at me.

"Hey everyone," Jacque entered the room looking harried and dirty.

"Any luck with the caves?" I asked.

"Nah, I don't know if she vacated it or what, but none of those caves had claw marks…we couldn't even find a scent." Jacque sighed and shook his head, frustrated and exhausted.

"Did Gabriel tell you-?" I started to ask.

"Yeah, better you guys then us, our pack isn't so good at secrecy." Jacque slumped down on the edge of Kaleb's bed careful of his feet, specifically the one with the missing toe.

"We just figured out what to do about Claire sleeping right under their noses, or well Pierre did, so that's one crisis averted."

Jacque nodded his head at Pierre appreciatively but didn't have the energy to ask anything more. "Come on monster, lets go home." Charlotte smiled at Jacque and pulled lightly on his hand, and he followed her out. "See you guys tomorrow." She called quietly as they left.

"I better get home too, maybe Bucky already started supper for me," Jenny said hopefully getting up to leave as well.

"Anything else I should do for the toe or the scrapes?" Esme asked walking her to the door.

"Well if nothing interesting is going to happen…" The five started for the door.

"Wait up, I'll walk with you." I began to follow them.

"Vivie stay!" Kaleb groped for my hand in his sleep.

I smirked at the five, "Go on without me I guess." I sat back down

"See ya Viv," Ulf said before going.

"Yeah, call if you need us to do anything," Gregory meant him or Janie.

"Tomorrow Viv," Willem nodded and Finn gestured the same.

I curled up next to my brother prepared to wait until he was in a deeper sleep before I left, my mother and Tomas at our sides.

**Well that was that, I really like Gabriel being so…whatever he was to the FBI, what do you think? I don't really know all that much about the FBI but I do know the loup-garou and they will not be intimidated, it adds for a nice little power play don't ya think? **

**What do you think their being here will specifically relate to Claire? What do you think about her significance in general? Any other predictions, comments, concerns, complaints? Review! **

_:D melissaturkey _


	9. Relaxed

**Ok here you are, another chapter, I'm so amazed at myself this week I can't believe I've had time to update. But I have so here it is, enjoy! P.s. this has nothing to do with the FBI, it's a filler chapter, but I think you'll enjoy it-if you like Gabriel…**

**Blood and Chocolate: A New Generation, Part 1**

**Chapter 9: Relaxed **

I must have fallen asleep in Kaleb's bed because the next thing I knew I was being carried in strong arms through a dark night, the only light to see by came from the crescent moon visible just over Gabriel's left shoulder.

"Hey," He smirked down at me.

"Hey, yourself." I leaned my head against him and sighed, blinking sleep out of my eyes.

"You know you can put me down now, I'm awake."

"I know." Gabriel kept on walking.

I looked up at him questioningly.

"Maybe I want to carry you."

I looked around. "You do know that as of a few hours ago we have FBI agents crawling all over our territory, right?"

Gabriel's grin widened. "I know."

"How can you be so calm?"

"I think the best way to displace any suspicion is to relax- to do what we want, act natural."

"And you normally carry me across the grounds?"

"I want to now."

I chuckled wrapping my arms around his neck, "Then I doubt we'll be relaxing."

When we got back to the cabin, he finally set me down only to guide me backwards towards the bedroom with his lips, hands moving around my waist, warm fingers lightly pulling at the waist of my jeans. Oddly, I felt very relaxed, like his kiss was a drug, or a medicine I needed to take-which made me think.

"Hm, mhmm, hold on-wait a minute." I leaned away from him so I could look into his eyes. "I have to go to the bathroom a sec." Gabriel reluctantly let me go.

Once I was in the bathroom, I searched under the sink in the cabinet. It wasn't there.

"Looking for this?" Gabriel was standing in the doorway a dark green opaque glass jar in this hand.

"How did you find it?" No one but me looked under the bathroom sink-I was the only one who cleaned in this cabin.

"Abbey tripped outside the cabin and scraped her knee on some gravel. I was looking for peroxide. Good thing I didn't put this on her cut. Speaking of which, what does it do?"

"It's something Persia gave me before she passed. She told me to use it when I was really ready to have pups." I'd been taking it since Charlie got pregnant, after Gabriel and I talked.

"I figured-I meant what does it do to you? It has a toxic label on it." Gabriel leaned against the doorway. He wasn't going anywhere.

"Persia started making it when she realized what was wrong after I was shot. She figured normal remedies wouldn't work."

Gabriel took a step forward-not in a menacing way, but one of those steps he gave the pack when they hedged his questions. It was a step that said he would find out whatever you were hiding so you might as well tell him.

"Its and old concoction she found in her old books. Loup-garou healers used to give it to barren females who'd become that way through internal injury. Its meant to clean away dead scar tissue. She figured that's what was stopping me."

"So its poison? If it eats away dead tissue its poison. You're poisoning yourself, to give me pups." Gabriel's gaze said it all; he did not approve. This is exactly why I didn't tell him, I knew he would react like this.

"It doesn't eat anything away…it just flushes the bad, dead stuff out. The stuff that was poisoned to begin with. It hasn't had any bad side affects."

"How long have you been taking it?"

"A few weeks."

"How can you tell if its working?"

"If any unnatural clumps come out in my piss or bowel movements, its working. Look, the other day I saw some-not a lot, but I think its finally working!" I wasn't lying, but I doubted that little bit I saw would amount to much if I continued to take it so sparingly like I was. I figured it wouldn't hurt to have a few extra teaspoons while it was on my mind. Unfortunately that was right before we have sex, but if I got Gabriel on board, it wouldn't matter, I wouldnt have to hide it from him.

Gabriel looked like he was going to press the issue about the side effects, but decided not to, the idea that something might finally be working was too exciting.

He handed me the jar. "The second you start feeling bad or you see a lot come out you stop taking it. If I have to stand over you while you piss I will."

I carelessly took a swig from the jar, estimating what I thought was two spoonfuls before lidding the jar. I moved toward Gabriel, "Now where were we?"

***

"I hate that we can't change." I complained later stretching my toned legs out over his.

"Well we could-we'd just have to stay inside," Gabriel mused as I watched the exciting sight of his shaggier hair and deliciously lengthened claws recede as he cooled down.

I turned to lie against him, "Baby, we couldn't keep it inside." I kissed him tasting the cool sweat that had collected over his upper lip.

He chuckled darkly, "No, we probably couldn't."

We were quiet for a moment, the sounds of a summer night drifting in through the closed window. I longed to open them, it was stifling in here, but with the FBI lurking around the place I didn't want to chance us being overheard.

"Do you remember when Persia was training Jenny?" I asked.

"Yeah, right before the first Jacqueline incident."

"She said something about how she hadn't planned on teaching Jenny, that a natural born healer was supposed to arrive…and she looked at me. Do you think we were supposed to have a little healer?" I looked up at him expectantly.

"I guess, Persia never said anything that wasn't true. She always knew what was going to happen…she had a lot of freaky talents."

"There's always one in the pack." I smiled to myself.

"Well two, Jenny, that is if we do have a little princess with mad skills."

"Who says it has to be a girl? Males can be healers too. Besides, Jenny's not a true healer, it would only be one. Persia nurtured her small spark of skill, her real talent lies with the herbs and remedies and things in the garden. A true healer's gift is more than that."

"You've really thought a lot about this." Gabriel's smile was amused as he tilted his head down to look at me.

"Well when we're not worrying about the safety of our packs Charlotte and I do talk about other things. She's been preoccupied with being pregnant lately-she says it's like a job in itself- so we've been talking about pups. Like who they'll be, what they'll do-that sort of thing."

"Oh yeah? So what would you like? A boy or a girl?" Gabriel propped up on an elbow.

I looked up at him, thinking. "Well, I think I'd be a better mother for a boy, just because of who I am. But Charlie keeps talking about all the things she could teach her baby if it was a girl and …there are things I could teach a girl too…and its sort of a sweet notion…"

"Then how about we have both?" Gabriel suggested.

"Huh?" I snorted. "How many do you think we're gonna have?"

"Well once you're fixed…"

"I thought the idea was to get me unfixed?" I teased, afraid he'd get it in his head to have a whole litter.

"How about 5?" He went on.

"5! Charlie spends hours in the bathroom as it is with one pup. I'm not going to be pregnant 5 times!"

"Not all females get morning sickness, a lot of loup-garou women don't."

"Charlie is loup-garou."

"Only half, which is probably why she's having such a hard time with it. Jacque says she's almost unbearable to live with."

I looked at him.

Gabriel tried to explain, "He loves her more than ever of course, but that doesn't mean he can't complain when she's a pain in the ass."

"Am I ever a pain in the ass?" I sat up and looked at him some more. "Do you complain to Jacque about me?"

"You're not pregnant, you don't have a reason."

"You didn't answer the question."

"Baby," Gabriel started.

"You know, maybe I should go over and spend the night at Charlotte's and send Jacque over here since you guys have so much to talk about." I moved as if to get off the bed.

Gabriel wrapped an arm around my waist to pull me back to him. "Hey, I didn't mean for it to sound that way. Sure, it gets on his nerves when she's pissy but he knows she having difficulties and wouldn't ever say anything to her about it, that's what I'm hear for. Same with you and Charlotte and Adelaide and Tasha and all them, you can't tell me you don't complain about me not helping out around here or whatever little nuisances that tick you off. It doesn't mean a thing, everybody has something to complain about, but it doesn't mean that the feeling is any less."

I just stared at him. I had never really been miffed in the first place, I was just teasing.

I shook my head and grinned, "Great moon, I love you." I kissed him and laughed, "I can't believe you thought I was serious!"

Gabriel growled playfully and rolled on top of me, pinning me down and holding my hands on either side of my head pressed to the bed. "You know what happens to people who mess with me?"

"Hm, what?" I challenged pressing my face up to him.

"They're punished."

I liked the punishment of mock angry kisses that rained down on me, swelling my lips and making paths of pink down my neck and along my jaw.

After our lips and tongues exhausted of the game of punishment his nose moved along my hairline.

"What is it?" I asked smiling up at him from numb lips. I felt the swells of playful bites along my jaw and saw a few Gabriel had received below his neck redden before my eyes; it was an alluring sight. It had been awhile since Gabriel and I had kissed and played with no goal or destination in mind. It was nice to relax in his arms, or well under his arms as it was at the moment.

"I've decided I wouldn't mind having girl pups," Gabriel started to answer my question before he paused, "if they're guaranteed to look like you-golden hair, eyes, everything. Of course that comes with the added headache of young males chasing after them when the time comes…"

I laughed, "Okay, I'll get right on that."

Gabriel rolled off me but kept me close to his side. After a moment of quiet he asked, "You relaxed?"

"I guess so, why?"

"Good." Was his only answer.

**Okay, so yes, this is a filler chapter that has little to do with any of the latest developments, but I was lying around and this popped in my head. I had wanted to put in something that would really show that Vivian and Gabriel have been married for four years; they have random moments like this. I enjoyed writing it and it gave you a chance to see what Viv means when she says she's "trying." **

**I'd like your thoughts on this concoction she's taking, maybe what you think Viv and Gabriel would be like as parents, even predictions on how many kids (if any) they'd have, gender, all that, have fun with this. It'll be an interesting to see your thoughts. **

**Review, speculate, have fun! **

**Ps (if you look closely you'll see I put in little hints as to what sort of parents I think they'd be…)**


	10. All A Ruse

**Sorry for the delay everyone! I planned on updating this last Saturday but I forgot to figure in Valentines Day…well I forgot about Valentines Day period, and then after that I had to go and get myself sick ALL WEEK so yeah, but I'm updating this now so it wasn't such a long painful wait was it? **

**PS I'm still deathly ill so review all even if just out of pity! (Yes I'm milking it just a little, I'm evil like that :D)**

**PPS Happy Belated Valentines Day everyone! **

**Blood or Chocolate: A New Generation, Part 1**

**Chapter 10: All A Ruse**

The thing about mornings is that they come whether you want them to or not. When the summer sunlight filtered through the blinds all I wanted to do was curl under Gabriel's arm and let the day pass by without us, but we had work to do.

"Gabriel. Gabriel, wake up." I tried for minutes to wake him without any luck.

"Ouch! What the hell?" I had pushed him off the bed.

"Good Morning baby," I smiled down at him. "I call the shower."

I was sure I heard some choice growls directed my way as I headed out of the room. I just laughed.

When I was out and dressed I saw that Gabriel had fallen back asleep, still on the floor. I plopped down on his chest, "Seriously we have to deal with the FBI today." Now that wasn't a sentence you wanted to say everyday.

In a flash, Gabriel was up and on his way to the bathroom. Well that was quick.

"Gabriel, Vivian!" The voices came from the front door. Gabriel didn't hear; he was already in the shower.

I answered the door.

"What is it?" I asked, closing the door behind the triplets as they filed into the cabin.

A trio of voices sounded off at once-loudly-and it was confusion to my ears.

"One at a time, and quiet down. You don't want to be overheard do you?"

"Oh we don't have to worry about that," Lucy started.

"The five have been tailing those idiots all morning." Maggie finished.

"There's actually twenty of them running around, not a lot considering, but anyway-" Elsie began again.

"A bunch of them are out scouting the woods, Willem is on the look out for them-" Lucy cut in.

"Some more are going around town asking questions, Ulf is watching them." Maggie explained.

"Finn is tailing the head idiot, whose floating between the two groups and a few are sticking around the inn and Greg's got those." Elsie finished while Lucy elbowed her.

"Okay so if the five have them covered and no one wants to talk to us again why did you come?" I had to ask.

"That's the thing, Pierre came to us last night-" Lucy answered.

"To tell us about the plan-" Elsie cut in.

"Of hiding Claire." Maggie finished.

"But this morning we overslept, and so Claire is in the inn…with the FBI and we don't know how to get in there unnoticed." Lucy finally got to the point looking at her sisters as if frustrated with them. "Philip and Pierre are already in there with a ladder and some paint buckets but we weren't able to sneak in with them."

"I'll come with you." I headed for the door.

"What about Gabriel?" Lucy asked. None of the girls moved.

"What about Gabriel?" I looked from one to the others.

"Well shouldn't he be in charge of this sort of thing? Since we can't patrol the woods anymore?" Lucy looked me straight in the eye while the other two looked away. I could never tell if they were embarrassed by the straightforward way Lucy confronted people or if she was just the only one with the guts to say what they were all thinking.

"Gabriel and I are partners, a team, just like you guys. We both do our share." I looked each of them in the eye. "Now, are you going to be a part of hiding the human girl or are you staying here?"

"We're going." Lucy pushed forward to pass me, leading the way to the inn.

I'd like to say that her attitude didn't affect me anymore but it did. I thought that over the years, they would eventually grow to like me, but they hadn't. I didn't know why they disliked me so much. I'd never done anything to them. I've been tempted to, but I haven't. It seemed unfair that while they had only known Claire for a day they were willing to risk all to protect her, but they had known me since they were pups and I'm sure they wouldn't care if Jacqueline ate me for breakfast. Well, maybe they would, they'd care about how that would effect Gabriel.

"Mrs. Devereux!" The moment we entered the inn two agents all in black came to meet me at the door wanting to ask questions. These were apparently the ones Gregory was supposed to be watching. I wondered where the fair-haired idiot was hiding.

"I'm sorry gentlemen but these girls were caught smoking in the barn. I have to deal with them before I can talk to you." I side stepped them with the triplets at my heals.

"But Vivian!" Elsie wined, playing along.

"Pierre and Philip were doing the same thing yesterday!" Lucy put in.

"Yeah but Pierre and Philip are over eighteen. They're even over twenty-one, they can do whatever they want-you can't."

"But they were in the barn too!" Maggie pointed out. "It could have burnt down!"

"Another reason why _you _shouldn't have been doing it!" I pointed out, "But that's also why they're going to have to help paint too. They can't work here and break the rules anymore then you can live here and disobey them." I was almost to the room. I took out a key and let them in, "I'll have Jenny come in in a few minutes to make sure you're working."

I shut the door before the agent that had followed us could see inside. "Can I help you?" I asked once I turned around.

"Those girls were smoking underage?" He asked his interest piqued.

"As far as I knew it was still legal to let the guardians decide what to do with 12 year olds that disobey."

"Of course but-hang on, did you just say they were only 12?"

I had just snipped at him and he was surprised by their age? Figured, the triplets had probably tried to flirt their way in before coming to get Gabriel and me. Most likely this guy was about to run to the nearest confessional to ask forgiveness for lusting after jailbait.

"Yeah, don't they just grow up so fast? Now what were those questions you wanted to ask me?"

And so the day began.

For all they were, this particular branch of FBI was not that original. Mostly they asked the same questions over and over: "What do you know about the attacks," "How do you feel about them being so close to your establishment," "Why do you have such a large amount of live-in faculty?"

Well at least they were smart enough to deduce all the people living in the cabins were not guests at a closed inn. I still couldn't believe the nerve of Agent Mahone thinking we'd open our doors for him just because they were the government. Though we had, but only because Gabriel believed the parable 'Keep your enemies closer…'

Gabriel joined me shortly and it was a little fun sitting there all comfortable in our own skin while the FBI stood there sweating in their suits from the heat of the mid-summer sun. But it was still frustrating letting them do all the searching while our packs, all of whom were much better equipped to find Jacqueline than their stupid scent dogs, were doing nothing.

The only break in the monotonous questioning came when Charlotte and Jacque came, and Special Agent Charles Mahone wanted to speak to them. The FBI had cleverly deduced that the four of us were in some sorts the town leaders. Of course, maybe they only figured that because of Mayor Mike's insinuation that we would know more than he did, as we're on the town council (whatever that was I'm sure Green Mountain Valley had never had one. Even the mayor was mostly just for show.) It was my opinion dear Mayor Mike just didn't want them on his case anymore and figured we could handle them better.

When their attention was on Charlotte and Jacque, Gabriel and I excused ourselves to check on our "little troublemakers." I couldn't help looking at the younger agent from this morning when I said this. Gabriel looked at me funny but I didn't clarify. If Gabriel knew all the older males that hit on his little sisters, there would be a lot of dead bodies buried in the Green Mountain National Forest.

When we entered room 4, work seemed to be at a standstill. Claire was sitting up in bed with Elsie painting her toenails, laughing about something Philip had said holding her side like it ached, while Jenny taught Maggie to play chess on the floor near the foot of the bed. Only Lucy and Pierre were working, Lucy delicately painting around the border around the ceiling and Pierre holding the ladder while painting below her.

I felt like I missed something when Gabriel went over and punched Pierre upside the head before I'd even cleared the doorway.

"What was that for?" I pulled Gabriel's hand away before he could hit him again. Pierre had dropped a paint bucket on his toe and the ladder he'd been holding up for Lucy wobbled. Pierre reached out to steady it before kicking the bucket off his foot, cursing as he did so.

"He was looking up her skirt." Gabriel said through gritted teeth. He was not unreasonable very often but when it came to his too-mature-for-their-own-good sisters he was a bit over zealous.

"Gabey it's all right, really. He didn't mean anything by it." Lucy looked down at her brother with innocent eyes. There were only three people in the world that could call him by any other variant of his name than Gabriel, those three people were his sisters…and me I guess but I preferred not to. I shuttered remembering Astrid and my mother calling him _Gabe_.

Gabriel didn't say anything; maybe he was rationalizing it in his head. He had to see that any girl wearing a miniskirt on a ladder was asking for it right? But she was his sister and that changed things. I hoped if we had any girl pups he didn't blow off the handle like that, but knowing him, it would probably be worse.

"I'm sorry, reflex. I'll be better, Scout's Honor," Pierre held up his fingers in Boy Scout fashion, rubbing a rapidly forming lump on his forehead as he did so.

"Sure." Gabriel wasn't over it.

I decided to save the day. "You guys ready for lunch? Dining Hall's open again thanks to our _guests_."

There was a general consensus of "Alright, I'm starved!" and everyone headed for the door. "Uh hey guys what about me?" Claire gestured helplessly to where she lay on the bed unable to get anywhere on her own.

"I'll get something for both of us and bring it back here to eat, okay?" Philip gestured to the door.

"Alright." She smiled at him and I could almost swear I heard his heart stop. I wasn't the only one of the loup-garou persuasion that rolled my eyes.

We joined Bucky and Abbey in the Dining Hall for lunch and Philip brought his food back to the room saying loud enough for the agents to hear that he'd rather eat by himself. Everything was going well, until of course, they asked to speak to the Carver twins. And they wouldn't let us go get Philip either. They were going to see Claire.

Gabriel and I exchanged a look.

**I think it was kind of fun to see Gabriel go all protective big brother and slug Pierre…and then there was Lucy…huh what do we think of her….? **

**And what do we think of the FBI possibly finding Claire!??! Tell me, plus whatever bit you liked best, I know it was short but I'm trying to update all the stories with a raging never-ending head-cold/flu/strep throat/whatever else so bear with me. **

**Send me a review to make my day! **

**:D melissaturkey **

**ps: I have a poll on my profile about what type of story I should do after I'm done with this, please tell me what you think, you are the lovely readers :D thanks mt**


	11. Found Out

**I know, I know its been forever but I cant help it, life is very hectic right now and squeezing sleep in my schedule is a little difficult right now, the other day I sat down on my bed for a second and ended up falling asleep! But have no fear a chapter is here…if I can only stay awake long enough to write it…**

**Blood or Chocolate: A New Generation, Part 1**

**Chapter 11: Found Out **

Gabriel and I jumped to our feet instantly. They did not have a warrant, no one had been arrested: they had no right to tell us we couldn't get someone from a room at _our _inn. I laughed to myself when a muscled FBI guy jumped out of the way when Gabriel and I headed towards the doorway he was "guarding", letting us pass on through.

Gabriel and I were already too late. The door was open and Agent Mahone himself was standing there looking down at a shocked and frozen Philip and Claire. They had not been eating their lunch. Instead Claire rested back on several pillows and Philip was leaning over her, one hand resting on her other side, face inches from her's- or it had been- it was steadily moving away now. He was moving his body as if to block hers from view. Smart, but not smart enough, her bandages were clearly visible.

I blamed the triplets of course; her outfit was ridiculous. Sure the short shorts had some merit, they kept cloth from brushing against her tenderly bandaged thigh, the one that concealed a gaping hole. And I guess the tank top served a cooling purpose in the stifling room, as well as allowing the bandages along her shoulder and throat to have some air, but not spectacular against hiding the bandages bunched under it over her ribcage. She looked very much like a victim of something horrendous.

"Get off of her!" Agent Mahone shouted before I could blink, we hadn't even entered the room fully yet.

"I…I didn't do anything to her I swear!" Philip stuttered out as Agent Mahone shoved him out of bed and against the wall pulling out shiny silver double-lock handcuffs. Wait silver? Aren't regular handcuffs made out of metal or iron? Why silver? My mind was reeling, did Agent Mahone know about us? But that didn't matter, first off we had to stop him from putting them on Philip.

"Stop, he didn't do anything!" I stepped forward tugging at Agent Mahone's arm. He flung me off, it was only then that I realized I hadn't put on any muscle; I had just came at him with my human strength.

"Arrest them all, they're a part of it, they've been hiding her the whole time!" Agent Mahone bellowed to the other men now rushing down the hall towards Gabriel and I. Gabriel turned to the men and looked at them, jaw tight, broad shoulders heaving. They stopped.

Agent Mahone cuffed Philip, and while they would do no danger to him on his skin as long as he had no cuts, it was still weakening after awhile. I had no idea what to do as Agent Mahone came towards me.

"Uncle Chuck stop!" The surprising words came from Claire on the bed, now sitting up clutching her side. I could see the blood pooling under her bandages from the strain of moving herself for the first time in days. She should not be moving like that, but it looked like she was going to try and get out of bed. Agent Mahone froze.

"Stop it, I know you came here looking for me, but these are not the people that hurt me! They saved me! Look at me! Without them I'd be one of those bodies left ripped apart in the woods!" Claire's voice was strong. It held steel, iron and diamonds, metals and alloys and anything strong and steady and lethal: poison, weapons, silver, and the little indestructible black box all rolled into one.

Her jaw was set, she looked determined and sure. This coming from the girl who only 48 hours ago was shrinking away from me in fear. Now she was defending us? And super badass agent was her uncle? Well it explained why the government finally decided to investigate, someone near and dear to Mr. Special Agent had gone missing.

"What were you doing with her?" His voice was directed at Gabriel and I.

"Nothing. We found her. Do you see any hospitals in town?" Gabriel looked into Agent Mahone's face confidently.

"There are ambulances that could be called." Mahone walked even closer to us.

"Yes, but we have a woman who acts as a medical personal for the inn. She took care of Charlotte and she thought it best if she wasn't moved, even in an ambulance." I took a turn.

"Why didn't you contact the authorities when you found her. She's a missing person." Agent Mahone's face was livid.

"Because I told them not to." The old feminine voice came from the doorway behind Gabriel. It was Abigail, a frequent guest at the inn-but she had left when we decided to close down the inn. What was she doing here?

"What are you doing here Abigail?" Agent Mahone looked genuinely shocked and so was I; how the hell did these three know each other? Was there anyone else connected to Claire hanging around that we should know about?

"Claire was traveling to visit me at my home in Manchester, only I wasn't there. It was by a happy mistake that she found me here anyway." Abigail said cheerfully, moving between Gabriel and I to sit next to her niece on the bed and help her rest back down. So this was the aunt she was going to visit. Claire was clearly working to hide her shock at seeing her aunt, in seconds her face was cool and expressionless, like she had practice.

And of course that's when it came back, the conversation we'd had when she was explaining how she was abducted:

…"_And my dad had taught me how to dislocate my thumbs to wriggle out of almost anything, so I got out of the ropes that were holding my hands together and I ran. I think I was running down hill, I didn't know where I was, I was just trying to get away from that cave. I didn't think to look at the surroundings, I should have. I knew to, but…but when you're in a situation like that you just can't…you just can't think." _

She'd been trained to handle threatening situations. I should have noticed that no normal human girl would know how to dislocate her thumbs to escape or know that she should memorize her surroundings, but Claire did. It made sense. But how did Abigail fit into this? The town had evacuated all humans besides the locals who were raised here or forced to stay in the valley because they were "in the know." No tourist had been allowed to stay. But stranger still was how she had known to come here at the exact right time. It couldn't have been just a coincidence that she showed up at the inn again just as her niece was being found out and we were being blamed for her abduction.

"By a happy accident? You call Claire being kidnapped and tortured a happy accident?" Agent Mahone, or "Uncle Chuck" as Claire called him, was beside himself, face red and voice steely.

"There's no need to take that tone with me, you know full well she should have been with me in the first place and then none of this would have happened." 'Aunt' Abigail sat primly on the edge of the bed facing the furious man but not looking up to him, patting her niece's (and I assumed she was a great niece given how old Abigail looked) hair. Claire still looked vaguely wide-eyed at her aunts appearance.

"This is not the time or place to discuss that," Agent Mahone sent daggers at the old woman with his eyes. "Claire you need to tell me what happened starting at the beginning." His voice took on a whole different tone when he addressed Claire. It was gentle, loving, like a parent's voice to a small child.

Claire rolled her eyes, "If I have to go over this one more time.."

"Just this once." Chuck encouraged waving a suited man from the doorway to hand him a recorder from his pocket.

"Fine." Claire straightened up as best she could and her eyes flickered to Philip for a brief instant. "You think you could un-cuff my boyfriend? He didn't do anything." She said it very casually, like they'd been together months instead of only knowing each other days.

Chuck blinked.

"Come on its not like this is the first time you've caught me with a guy, and you and I both know that's the only reason why he's in cuffs."

The words themselves could be construed by any guardian as mouthy, like their child was talking back, but her voice was very matter of fact and somehow Agent Mahone relaxed rather than balked at them.

He tossed a small silver key to one of the men who released Philip, who almost immediately began rubbing his wrists. I shook my head at him and he stopped. We couldn't have him showing any unusual reaction to the metal.

"Get out of here," was all that the big bad agent man said to Philip. That was odd, I watched as Philip left the room, but I guess if he suspected any of us it would be Gabriel and I.

"If I'm going to go through all this again could we at least clear the room? I am barely wearing anything. No offense guys." Her remark was targeted towards the men in black behind Gabriel and I. A few off them actually looked ashamed and waved sheepishly like they were embarrassed they hadn't anticipated this particular need. Who the hell was this girl? The princess of the FBI? What did uncle Chuck do, take her to play with handguns and shred super secret documents when she was two? I was surprised they hadn't showed up earlier looking for her then.

"Clear the room. Everyone." Agent Mahone caught sight of Gabriel and I. "You two don't leave the inn, and tell the other two out there not to leave either. I have to talk to you four."

Of course he was talking about Gabriel, Jacque, Charlotte and I.

"No-I want them to stay. You are conducting an investigation on their property, they have a right to know what's going on." Again her voice could almost have been cheeky, but not quite, somehow it still held an ounce of respect and an iota of gentle prodding. The triplets could learn loads from her.

"Of course they can stay dear, Vivian and Gabriel are great friends of mine." Abigail smiled broadly at me.

I had to smirk. Abigail was a frequent guest, every once in a while I got the idea that she knew more about us than she let on but I never felt the need to investigate, she was a guest and she was pleasant unlike some people who only had complaints to pass out like this was a common motel below their standards. Abigail appreciated us. We weren't really that close but "Uncle Chuck" didn't need to know that.

Agent Mahone threw us a loathing stare but I perched on the chair near Claire's bed and Gabriel leaned against the dresser like a lion ready to pounce on its prey, or more appropriately a wolf waiting for the kill. But there was nothing we could do, it was all up to Claire now. If she chose to turn us in she could, but somehow I doubted that. After all there was Philip and exposing us for what we were would mean exposing him too.

I was pretty sure we were safe until I heard a high-pitched howl coming from the woods outside Claire's window.

**Well who could that be…mmm three guesses sound fair? I really am sorry for the wait and if you would do me the great honor of reviewing what you thought /think/predict, I think I can crank out another one by tomorrow. **

_Hugs and stuff :D melissaturkey _

_Ps I have a poll on my profile for what project to work on after I'm done with my BaC fics, so check it out :D _

_once again, mt. _

_Pps (yeah I know this is super short)_


	12. Catastrophes

**Okay that didn't take so long did it? This is only because I'm kinda excited because I know for an absolute fact that no one saw this coming!!!! (I'll pause for a moment here while everyone scrolls down to see the big catastrophe I'm talking about) now, by now you're spoiled from scrolling down and I'm pleasantly smug but lets try and read the whole chapter and take in all the assorted catastrophes…**

***freaky peppy cheerleader voice *: Ready? Okay? **

**Blood or Chocolate: A New Generation, Part 1**

**Chapter 12: Catastrophes**

I recognized the howl instantly, maybe because I'd been expecting something to happen after days of quiet on the Jacqueline front. I knew she was the one behind the attacks, I knew she wouldn't stop until she'd made her point or reached her goal, and I knew that that howl coming from so close by was her.

"What the hell is that?" Agent Mahone's head snapped towards the window as if magically the shades would push themselves back so he could see into the forest beyond.

Gabriel looked at me. There were a million things in his face, but the biggest emotion peeking through was uncertainty and I had never seen Gabriel seriously uncertain before. He always knew what to do.

But I understood. And the truth was I didn't know what to do either. We couldn't just go out there and stop her from doing whatever she was doing to cause such a ruckus, that would expose us-the very thing Jacqueline wanted to do-we couldn't do that. And we couldn't just sit here and let the "professionals" handle it; they had no idea what they were dealing with; It would be irresponsible of Gabriel and I to let them get injured or killed because of us. It was our job to protect everyone in this valley, including the humans-even if their being here was only temperary and a nuisance.

Gabriel and I were exchanging another worried glance when we heard moments later a very human scream.

In an instant everyone, excluding Claire and her aunt Abigail, came rushing out of the room to the back sliding glass doors, pushing through them, and racing to the woods. Jacque must have heard it from the lounge and he was too, along with Gabriel and I, the first to arrive in the small clearing just a few yards into the woods.

What I saw was probably the very last thing I expected to see. Because not only was there a human in a dark suit lying on the ground bloodied and lifeless but there was also a half skin clad, half furred form struggling against a slim wild beast's vice-like grip on his neck: Pierre.

The second Jacqueline's wild harried form spotted us she released her hold on the young loup-garou and dashed away, and what could we do? We couldn't go after her that would be suspicious, and what if they caught us instead of her out there? We couldnt risk it. We just had to take care of Pierre. I reached him first.

He was blinking out of consciousness from loss of blood when I reached him.

"Pierre! Pierre! You have to change back! You have to! Come on, come on!" I coaxed his barely lucid form.

He must have barely heard me. He blinked and shuttered and seemed to shrink into his skin the moment we heard Agent Mahone and the rest of the suits enter the clearing. Then he passed out.

The agents quickly assessed the situation, looking for the first time in my eyes like trained professionals. A few checked on their fallen agent, seeing he was lost they moved on to where I was kneeling on the ground next to Pierre. "He's alive." Gabriel quickly told them while others, guns ready, approached the outer edges of the clearing.

"It went that way." Jacque pointed towards the east, knowing that his sister really went west but also knowing there was no way we could send them in her true direction if she was now foolish enough to attack federal agents.

Agent Mahone nodded at six agents to head east then he turned to another, "We need an ambulance for this boy."

"No, our healer-er-medical technician will see to him." Gabriel nodded at Rolf Wagner who had arrived on the scene to go get Jenny. "Bring some of the men to take him to room three." He added gruffly looking down on Pierre who still held the black eye and buised brow from a blow he had given him not even an hour ago. He looked guilty.

Agent Mahone glared at Gabriel like he was stepping on his authority, which he was but this was our land, Pierre was one of our own whether he was an official part of our pack or not. "Chuck" would not dictate what happened to him. A few agents started taking pictures of the "scene."

In minutes four males from our pack were lifting Pierre carefully to the inn. Room 3 was apparently going to play host to a patient as well. I watched, worried, as they carried him away. Jacque was holding cloth tight to Pierre's neck, stemming anymore blood loss but he had lost so much already. Jenny was going to have her work cut out for her.

I reached for Gabriel's arm, he wrapped it around me and started leading me back to the inn. We were stopped by a man in our way. Agent Mahone was not through with us. "Wait one minute. I need a statement from both of you telling me exactly what you saw."

"They just witnessed a good friend being mauled to death by a wild animal and that same friend could be dying right now. Don't you think you could give them a minute to see if he's okay?" Charlotte had finally appeared, just in time.

"Three hours." Mahone did not looked pleased. He turned to the dead agent.

Gabriel, Charlotte and I walked to the inn together in silence. I took Charlotte's hand. She looked so worried. It was only then that I remembered she grew up with the twins, they were her friends long before they were mine. If something happened to either one of them…

When we got to room three Jenny had ushered everyone out, even a burly agent who made Bucky look small had been ordered out by the tiny genteel female. When we entered the only ones in the room were Jacque, still assisting stemming the blood flow and Philip standing pale in the corner with the most hopeless expression I'd ever seen written on his face.

"There's nothing you can do here." Jenny said without turning around reaching for something from a bag of gauze and herbs.

"I'll stay, you go." Charlotte placed her hands over Jacque's bloody fingers to relieve him of his duties. I saw him send her a warm grateful glance before moving towards the bathroom to wash up.

I glanced over at Philip's ashen face. It was the most pitiful pained expression…what must it look like to watch your other half possibly bleed to death before your eyes? To see a face mirrored to your own covered in blood? I called to Jacque and led him out into the hall. Gabriel followed us.

"Since you don't mind getting your hands bloody…" I went back in and stole some fresh bandages from Jenny's bag. She hardly noticed, she was deeply involved in whatever she was doing. I led them to Claire's room.

It was a very quick clinical process removing Claire's old bandages and wrapping fresh tighter around her to stop and latent bleeding, helping her sit up in a wheelchair we kept around the inn for disabled guests and rolling her in to sit next to where Philip stood. She took his hand. He didn't look down at her but he gripped her's back tightly. I stood back and watched this for a moment, then realizing I would only be in the way by staying I backed out of the room with Gabriel and Claire's aunt, leaving Jacque to stay to switch off with Charlotte in assisting Jenny when she needed to take a break.

"I need to talk to Abigail a minute, why don't you go check on your brother?" Gabriel suggested once we were in the hall.

I probably should have stuck around to see what her story was but I didn't know if I could retain any information at this point. I mean Jacqueline had attacked Pierre! It wasn't just that he was a loup-garou she attacked that shocked me, it was that he was one of her own: one of the pack she previously belonged, led, how could she…How wild and unthinking had she become in her exile? I couldn't think. I needed the small comfort seeing my little brother's smiling perpetually cheerful face would bring me.

When I arrived at Tomas and Esme's cabin I immediately knew something was wrong, mainly because my mother didn't meet me at the door anxious for news of what had just happened. The cabin was silent.

I let myself in wondering how many catastrophes we could handle before we came apart at the seems.

**Oh no! Review! Tell me what you think is going on! New chapter by Friday I hope. :D melissaturkey **

**And yes I know its short again. I only have two hours at home at night anymore before I have to go to sleep to start the day agian, so chapters from now until the middle of april will be pretty short, but the upside to this is that I can crank out more, quicker or at least I hope I can. So this is a good thing, no? **

**Review! :D melissaturkey **


	13. Hospital Inn

_**I know I promised this for last night, but its here now! Yay!~**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Vivian or Gabriel or anyone else from BaC but I do own the small multitude of like everyone else I've created in the valley…or yeah and the valley too…but not the national park…that er belongs to the nation….the United States of America…the FBI do too…not me…at least I don't think I own them…yep sexy men in black suits still work for the government…**_

**Blood or Chocolate: A New Generation, Part 1**

**Chapter 13: Hospital Inn **

When I entered the cabin it was dead silent. I knew something was wrong the only question was what. That's when I heard Esme's heaving sobs coming from Kaleb's bedroom; I ran.

The room was empty apart from Tomas, Esme, Kaleb and Abbey. At first I didn't understand why Esme was crying; Tomas seemed fine, Kaleb seemed fine, he was up and animated talking to Abbey with more fervor than he had in days.

But then I saw the color in Kaleb's cheeks, bright red-unnaturally so. He wasn't wearing a shirt, only little boy swimming trunks, which wasn't that unusual given the summer heat that was making even my tawny hair stick the back of my neck, but it was the icepacks that I didn't notice until moments later that little Abbey was holding to his wrists, inside of the crooks of his elbows, and under his kneecaps even as she spoke to him like nothing was wrong.

I picked up on a bit of their conversation a moment before they noticed me. "I like tree houses. Tree houses are cool. They look like fun. Every kid should have a tree house, we should get Bucky to build us one." Kaleb was talking, like only a small pup could, like this was the most vitally important thing in the world.

Abbey's voice held the proper enthusiasm as she replied but her face held a tight pinched fake smile, she wasn't that much older than Kaleb, not old enough to lie well. Which was what they were doing. I could tell in an instant, trying to pretend like everything was fine, like his small body wasn't fighting an infection that was giving him such a high fever that they needed to ice his body to try and bring it down. Where was Jenny?

Then I remembered Pierre. Of course he needed Jenny more now than my brother did, Kaleb could wait hours…if we could come up with a more effective way of cooling him…

"Yeah, I'll get Daddy to make one for us." Abbey was saying.

"Make sure you do, cause we really need a tree house." Kaleb was so intent on this tree house and then: "Vivie! You're here!"

"Yeah, hey pup," I came over and hugged him picking up an ice pack from the counter and placing it against the back of his neck as I embraced him lightly, not wanting to give him anymore warmth than necessary…his cheeks were so red, and hot against my neck were he pressed his face to hug me…

"Hey guess what?" He was excited about something again.

"What?"

"Mommy's letting me wear my swim shorts! She never lets me wear my swim shorts around the house!"

I could see why he was excited about this, when I was a pup Esme had rather I run around naked in the summers and skinny dip with the five rather than wash my bathing suit; it really wasn't any mystery why the loup-garou weren't modest.

"That's cool. Hey how about you take a nice cold swim right now?" I asked turning to my mother and Tomas to see if it would be alright. "I bet you're really hot all cooped up in this stuffy room."

"That would be awesome!" Kaleb started moving like he was going to jump right off the bed.

"Wait a minute squirt, I have to talk to Abbey a minute and then I'll give you a piggyback ride, how about that?"

"Okay!"

I turned to Abbey who was tugging on my arm. "What is it?"

"Mama said not to get his… toe wet, and he's already got it infected…" Her small voice trailed off.

"If its already infected than there's nothing we can do about that right now is there? We need to keep him cool and right now it's the only thing I can think to do. You got any better ideas?" I just snapped at a six year old. "Abbey I'm sorry I know you're trying to help its just-"

"It's okay. Kaleb's hurt, Pierre's hurt, the big bad government guys are here, I can cut you some slack." She smiled at me.

Abbey was really smart for her age. "Thanks pup."

"Up we go." I picked up Kaleb and started heading for the bathroom Abbey, my mother and Tomas following.

"Why aren't we going outside to swim, its nice out." Kaleb asked when he saw where we were going.

"The FBI guys are searching the woods right now for Jacqueline so we can't go to the creek, but you can float around in the bathtub."

"Okay! Do I get to keep my shorts on?"

"Yeah, you can keep your shorts on, baby." Esme answered him swallowing back a sob.

"Cool! Abbey, wanta swim with me?" Kaleb asked over my shoulder.

"I don't think that's a good-" Tomas started.

"Sure." Abbey started shrugging off her sundress.

"Abbey, the waters going to be very cold…and-" Esme tried to stop the girl as Tomas adjusted the water to the coldest we could get it-which was freezing.

"I don't mind, and besides, I don't have any sores; he can't infect me." She sounded very sure, and she knew the real problem was we didn't want her infected too.

"Come on, I want her to play with me." Kaleb complained, and how could we resist him?

"Okay." I said finally as I lowered my little brother into the water and Abbey stripped down to her Disney princess panties and climbed in the tub with him. Splashing ensued, Kaleb didn't even realize how cold the water was and he must not have noticed Abbey's goose bumps or shivering and to her credit she hid it well. She was such a good friend to him. I hoped she wouldn't get sick too.

Every once in a while the water would drift towards room temperature and we would haul the kids out to put fresh freezing water in there for Kaleb. Esme stopped crying after hearing Kaleb laugh and seeing him play and Tomas lost the permanent look of desperation, if only momentarily.

After a while I excused myself. I wanted to spend time with Kaleb just in case…but Jenny would fix him up in time, I would have to check on Pierre, talk to the suits, figure things out so I wouldn't end up like my mother crying uselessly on a bathroom floor. When I got to the inn Bucky was bringing over two suitcases. "What's going on?"

"Jenny's moving into the inn for awhile so she can be closer to the girl and Pierre. They need her right now and she doesn't want to leave them alone for a while. I'm coming too, just in case she needs some help with them at night and no one else is around to help her. We were wondering if Esme and Tomas could take Abbey for awhile? I know Kaleb's a little messed up right now but she wouldn't be any trouble."

"No, that's fine. I'm sure Esme wouldn't mind her staying over. Kaleb would love it."

"Thanks." He slid open the back doors and stepped back to let me through first.

"Hey do you know anything about Pierre? Is he stable yet?"

"Jenny's still working on him but she's stopped the bleeding, Philip gave him some of his, so he should be alright. Poor pup, he was just surprised is all, she jumped him from behind, he thought she was still attacking the agent that's why he came, he didn't expect her to be lying in wait."

"He tell you this?"

"No, he's not conscious yet, but that's what Jenny figures. There's no way a loup-garou that size could have gotten an advantage on Pierre, even if she was wild, she's not nearly as big or as strong. She had to have surprised him."

"How long till he'll wake up?"

"You'll have to ask Jen that." Bucky shrugged and opened up room five. Apparently that's where they were staying until our "patients" were healed.

I entered Pierre's room quietly. Room number three was silent except for the five sets of lungs inhaling and exhaling. Philip and Claire were still in the corner and Jenny was leaning over Pierre stitching up his neck and his arm. There was another figure in the room rubbing a yellow salve over the already stitched sections. Lucy.

"What are you doing here? Where's Charlie and Jacque?" I asked quietly.

"You know it might surprise you but I do want to help out. Jacque and Charlotte need a break and I offered to fill in for them." Lucy managed to look down on me from where she was bending over pasting the salve on his neck.

"Well good, thank you." I tried to be nice.

"I wasn't doing it for you." She snapped and went on doing her job, dismissing me.

I'd leave when I damn well pleased. "Jenny how's he doing?"

"I'll know better when he wakes, Philip gave him some blood and that'll help, but he'll only be outta the woods when his wounds are completely healed." Jenny explained

"How long will that take?" I asked.

"Well Claire's bites are healing unbearably slow, but her's were wider and she lost a lot more flesh, and she's human so…"

"So..?"

"So if we're lucky his will heal in about half the time of her's even if they are more severe."

"How long will Claire's take then?"

"Months."

"Months?"

"Humans heal very slowly."

"Okay how many months?" This was getting ridiculous.

"Five? Six? It's too early to tell."

"So Pierre will be okay in about three?" I estimated.

"He should be."

"What do you mean he should be?" Philip had joined the conversation.

"Well it depends on a lot of things really…?"

"So you don't even no if he will be okay yet?" Philip demanded.

"Well he's stable now so he should be…" Jenny looked uncomfortable.

"But there's a chance that he won't? Philip's voice was rising.

"There's always-"

"No maybe Agent Mahone is right maybe he should have went to a hospital!" Philip was shouting now and had started stepping towards Jenny from the other side of the bed.

"Hey, hey, hey! That's enough!" I pulled Philip back by his arm and put my hands on his shoulders. "Jenny is doing the best that she can with what she has. Besides there's no way we could have taken him to a hospital and you know it. Who knows what our blood looks like under a human microscope. They could think he has a disease or something and that would cause more harm than good. So just calm down. I know you're upset that you're brother is hurt but so is mine and we're not going to get anywhere by shouting at each other, especially at Jenny."

Philip shrugged away from me and started walking out of the room.

"Philip." Claire had spoken up. "Can you take me back to my room?"

Philippe looked back at her. He looked at her a moment and then back down the hall as if struggling at what to do; take care of her or storm down the hall. Caring for her won out.

"Sure." He said it quietly with one more desperate look at his brother he pushed her wheelchair out into the hall and back into room 4.

"I'll be back later." I promised Jenny. "Oh and Bucky's got you're stuff in room 5, for when you want to sleep. Gabriel and I'll take over watching him for the night."

"Thank you Vivian." Jenny smiled a grateful smile and went back to work.

I moved on down the hall wondering where Gabriel had gone, it had been at least an hour and a half since he had said he was going to question the great aunt, where had he gone?

"Vivian!" Charlotte's voice carried from the front hall.

"Have you seen Gabriel and the aunt?" I started walking towards her.

"Yeah, we're all in here." She gestured to the lounge with a celery stick and cheese slices in her hands.

"Hungry?" I asked slightly amused. I swear she'd gained another five pounds since last week.

"Yeah, I'm really liking cheese right now for some reason." She laughed at herself and the little bulge that was developing between her hips.

"Hmm? I wonder why?" I tapped her stomach. "It couldn't be cause the little pup wants cheese could it?"

"Careful or the little guy might think you're being sarcastic." Charlie nudged my shoulder as we walked to the lounge.

"Hello girls." Agent Mahone was waiting for us in the doorway. "Take a seat." For the moment it was clear: he was taking charge of the situation and there was nothing Gabriel, Jacque, Charlotte or I could do about it.

_**Well hmm? What's happening now huh? Tell me what you think. And also if there are any words or phrases that particularly stood out to you I'd love to hear them. Review! **_

_**:D melissaturkey **_

_**Ps this is a bit of a filler chapter really, the next one should be much more interesting…or well more things will happen at least, whether its interesting or not is totally up to your tastes… or whatever. Have a nice night! :D **_


	14. Interrogation

**Yes I'm aware its been forever! Blame it on 16 ****birthdays and meddlesome parents and too many other things going on. Basically I had to reschedule my sweet 16 b-day party twice and I haven't had the time or mentality to write a word. Gosh Darn that little monster called writers block! And yeah I know I promised this like a month ago but I started working part time in addition to school and I was inducted in the national honor society and I had to go shopping for an outfit to be a prom server and…yeah a lot of other stuff, I've been busy. (and my internet was down for a while)**

**Yeah, yeah, I know you're tired of this boring author rambling and you just want to get to the chapter, right? Well so you wish it, so it shall be! :D melissaturkey**

**Blood or Chocolate: A New Generation, Part 1**

_Basic recap? Pierre was attacked by Jacqueline, Kaleb's running an incredibly high fever, Charlotte's started having cravings for cheese (one of the most randomest things I could think of for her cravings)…did I miss anything? Oh yeah Philip's freaking out cause his twin is in bad shape and Claire, bless her heart, is trying to comfort him, and the last tiney tiny thing I might have forgot to mention; the FBI has just gotten some huge evidence to go on right in their back yard (the crazy wild attacks of an agent of their very own and Pierre) and have just found out about Claire being there as well, so you know what that means-Its time for the official interrogation! _

**Chapter 14: Interrogation**

I followed Charlotte into the room because I knew we had no other choice. I hated not having a choice. I had gotten used to answering to no one. I placed myself down on the couch between Gabriel and Jacque while Charlotte went to go sit on the other side of Jacque. Nothing but dead silence filled the lounge.

Agent Mahone sat on a single armchair facing us. He started. "Since your town fails to provide an adequate police station we'll be conducting our questioning here. But don't think for a moment that because we're in your ballpark you have home field advantage." He sounded like a grump softball coach more than a seasoned agent beginning a serious investigation. But somehow, I couldn't find it amusing because this time was serious. This wasn't Axel goofing up and coming to a small county court, this was me and Gabriel, the leaders of the pack, being suspects in an FBI investigation. As inconspicuously as I could I slid my hand into Gabriel's. He squeezed mine almost too lightly even for me to feel it but I'm sure Agent Mahone noticed the slight nervous gestures on both our parts.

"Let's start at the beginning shall we?" Agent Mahone leaned back in his seat as if relaxed, at ease for the first time he came to the valley. And he probably was, he was in control-he had the upper hand here. "You both share joint ownership of this inn correct?" He gestured towards Gabriel and I.

"Ye-es." I said slowly when Gabriel didn't say anything.

"Joint _legal _ownership? Are you sure? You weren't eighteen when you signed this document." He pulled out the deed of the inn out of a thick file folder I hadn't noticed on his lap.

He didn't give us time to respond to that.

"A great majority of the inn staff is the same staff that worked in the inn in West Virginia correct? The one that burned down?

"Yes," Gabriel answered this time and much more decisively than I had. He could tell where this was going even if I couldn't.

"Why would such a large group of people relocate together? Couldn't they find jobs where they were at?"

"Running the inn is a family business." Gabriel said shortly.

"But not all of you are related." Agent Mahone looked at him passively as if he was a flea on his pant leg, disgusting and inferior. I knew that would get to Gabriel.

"Our ancestors came from France together, settled in Louisiana together and from there to Virginia. It was only natural that when we were going to set up a new inn that they come along. We think of ourselves as family."

"Okay we'll just move on for now. It seems a long string of civil unrest has followed your "family." From what I can find there seemed to be a string of murders linked to your ancestors in Louisiana and in West Virginia another member of your "family" Axel Thor was suspected of killing a girl named Tracy Sullivan. He got off when he went to trial but only a month after he was found innocent he died in a barn. A medical examiner said he'd apparently fallen from the loft and snapped his neck. Apparently." He repeated and then stopped as if waiting for a reaction.

"His job was to clean out the barn. He'd always had a high risk of getting hurt, falling from the lofts. It was only a surprise it didn't happen sooner. The risk came with the job." I supplied when it looked like Gabriel was just going to stare him down.

"Yes, well there's also the matter of how he killed the young high school girl-"

"Allegedly killed." Gabriel corrected harshly.

"Of course, allegedly killed-it seems he was seen shifting back from a sort of animal form after killing her…His defense attorney got him off with the argument that it was impossible for a teenage boy to shift into a big, hairy animal, that it is impossible for a teenage boy to shift into a big hairy animal. But let's say for arguments sake that it is possible, it would explain the attacks in Maryland when you stayed there. The inexplicable animal that just stopped killing after your "family" left the state. And now you're here in Vermont and look-unexplained animal attacks." The agents smirk was harsh; yes, he was in his element.

"You thin we're all a bunch of what-Animals? Beasts? Shape shifters? Is Big-Foot real too? Is that why you're so gullible to believe this? What does the investigation bureau of the United States of America have that makes them so quick to believe in fairy-tales?" Gabriel voice was calm; there was a cold steal like in his blue eyes.

Even though I couldn't see the emotion behind them, I knew what he felt. I felt my own broiling and churning. They suspected us-more than suspected-they knew. They weren't executing us all for the "good of mankind" yet but they would. The worst thing was we couldn't run. Agents surrounded us all the time now it seemed and even if we all managed to get away, we'd never be safe. If we ran anywhere in the United States, they'd find us and if we made it to Canada they'd call ahead and have them capture us there. We didn't have any options.

When we moved the pack here we'd thought it would be a haven, a place where we could be what we were without worrying about being caught. But really, it was just where we had lived for nearly five years like sitting ducks, waiting for them to catch us.

Agent Mahone continued, "Oh we have lots of things on your people: every bar fight, every parking ticket, every minor offense and a few major ones too. All ready to use as evidence that you're a danger to society. Including that period of time you spent in downtown Charleston and a young woman named Lilly Engel was found dead in her bead."

I squeezed Gabriel's hand. I hadn't known the name of the girl he'd loved and killed, Gabriel didn't like to talk about it, but I knew this stung and I knew I hated Agent Charles Mahone for the throwing it in his face.

"You can't prove any of this about them." Jacque said through tightly clenched teeth. I guess to take the focus off us a little.

"Oh its not just them you should be worried about Jacque Lefevre. I know about all the destruction of property and vandalism you've been accused of. I know about the car you stole at sixteen-"

"I was a kid rebelling against my parents-that doesn't mean I'm a danger to society. I've never killed anybody." Jacque interrupted.

"No but you keep the same custums as this bunch. The people of this town look to you four as their leaders-"

"Mayor Mike-" Jacque started.

"No, you and I both know that that fool you call 'Mayor' is just a prop, just like your town government. Every person of authority in this valley answers to you so save your breath, there's no need to deny it. Every person in this God-damned place are horrible liars, couldn't keep their story straight if their life depended on it, or more appropriately yours. But God knows they're loyal." This questioning was really just one big threat and I was getting sick of it. I wanted to tear out every agent's throat just on principle, but Claire's uncle, Agent Mahone, he I wanted to see die a thousand deaths for threatening our packs and the life we had here. It was a good thing Charlotte was the one that responded because I don't know what I would have done if I had one more second to consider my hate for that human.

"So you're just gong to kill us? Because there's no way you can prove your insane theory in court. There will always be someone with a decent sense of reality. And you are aware that many woman in this community are pregnant, including myself, aren't you? Are you willing to have innocent blood on your hands?" Even when Charlotte's voice was emotional and passionate, she seemed calm. What struck me harder than anything about her statement was that she was willing to die for a pack she'd only belonged to for only four short years, but also that she even more than that she was willing to die for her pup that hadn't even been born yet.

Agent Mahone was silent for a moment and for a second I thought he was moved, but when he spoke, his voice was cold. "Not one of you is innocent."

Jacque and Gabriel were to their feet at this before the other agents could even comprehend they had moved. I expected this behavior from Jacque who was known for his temper and someone had just threatened his family, but what was not expected was Gabriel's reaction. All the while Agent Mahone had a sick sort of smile on his face just waiting for one of us to goof up and expose ourselves.

Fortunately for us, there was an interruption at the door; Claire came pushing through the barrage of guards in her wheel chair, puffing at the exertion and pain inevitable from her wounds.

Her chest was heaving as she let out the terrible news. "Quick, somebody! Pierre just had a seizure! We have to get him to a hospital!" The world stopped spinning as everyone around me sprung into a flurry of motion.

**Yes that last sentence was contradictory, it was supposed to be, and don't worry I wont leave you so long with this cliffhanger. I've taken to writing in a notebook during school to get these chapters done so you should get another one on Friday. **

**:D melissaturkey**

**Challenge for reviewers: I'm insanely curious. I want to know how you found my story. Was it from the archives? Favorite list? Where? And of course I'd love any other comments, thoughts, or critiques you'd like to share :D mt **


	15. Prisoners

**Yep this was due Friday…but I once again my hectic schedule got in the way of me copying it from my notebooks to my computer, ah well, here it is! **

**Blood or Chocolate: A New Generation, Part 1**

**Chapter 15: Prisoners **

"What? How?" Jacque towered over the girl in the wheel chair, forgetting momentarily that she was just a human teenager and she did not have to answer to him.

Claire responded anyway, "Jenny thinks he had a bad reaction to one of the herbal antiseptics she was putting on his wounds. That's when he started seizing anyway."

Of course he had an allergic reaction! Didn't just days ago Philip tell me that he and Pierre were allergic to all kinds of soap? Shouldn't that have alerted me that he'd be allergic to lots of other things too? I should have told Jenny. But how was I to know that stuff that was supposed to help him would harm him? It wasn't my fault. Still, even if he wasn't technically a part of my pack I felt responsible for him.

The agents already had the ambulance on the way and a few with medical training went with Jacque to go in with Jenny and Philip to see if they could help Pierre until the ambulance arrived. Agent Mahone went to Claire and I remembered again that to her he was "Uncle Chuck."

"We have to talk young lady." He began sternly.

"About what? I told you everything I know." Claire responded and for a minute I moment overhearing this conversation I felt afraid but then Agent Mahone said:

"You're covering for them. I know you are. Why won't you tell me the truth? You were raised to respect the law and this agency."

"And didn't you always tell me to be true to myself and to fight for what I believe in? I believe the people in this town have nothing to do with the attacks." She said almost belligerently.

"If that's how you feel-"

"That's how I feel."

"Then I'm sending you back home to Judy."

"Uncle Chuck!"

"Your aunt has kept you in this place long enough. Its time to get you away where its not dangerous." He winced immediately after he said it as if he knew he'd put his foot in his mouth.

"You don't think I can take care of myself?" Claire was immediately defensive.

"Do you know what I went through when you were missing?"

"No, but I'm sure you'll tell me anyway?" She muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

"When you were gone I was frantic. It was my responsibility to take care of you after your parents were murdered-"

"It wasn't your responsibility. It was Aunt Abigail's."

"Abigail might have been your godmother but she was your great aunt and already old when they died. I wasn't sure she could hold out long enough to raise you."

"Well obviously she held up well, I'm sixteen and she's still alive."

"I've had enough of your attitude." Agent Mahone lowered his voice to avoid the attention of the other agents.

"You don't listen to me!" Claire raised her's.

"You listen here-"

"Sir," The agent that had addressed us first when they arrived interrupted them then and Gabriel, Charlotte and I pretended like we hadn't been eavesdropping. The agent muttered something low so only Agent Mahone could hear.

"Huh, well I think we should address that. Claire, we will continue this later."

"But-"

"Take her to her room." He ordered two other men in suits nearby.

One promptly took hold of her wheel chair and began wheeling her out of the lounge. But the other, an older agent, looked at Mahone like he'd never seen him before.

"What are you waiting for Agent Lewis?" Agent Mahone glanced back at the reluctant agent.

"Nothing, sir." Was all he said and walked away after Claire and the agent that was wheeling her away.

I wondered what Agent Lewis disagreed with Mahone about. Did it have to do with Claire? Her parents? Anything that could be used to distract Mahone from our pack? I shared a hopeful glance with Gabriel.

"Now, where were we?" Agent Mahone turned back to the three of us. "Where did the other one go?"

"To check on Pierre."

"Oh. Well speaking of others cared for by your "medical technician" is there any other members of your community you'd like to mention were attacked?" Just as he asked two stretchers came wheeling down the hall passed the lounge door.

"Kaleb!" I jumped up from my seat on the couch and ran towards the hall.

"Stop Mrs. Devereux, your brother is going to the Rutland County Hospital and you and husband, along with Miss Grant are not allowed to leave the premises until you have been properly questioned."

"And what have we been doing this past hour if it wasn't that?"

"Speculating. Unfortunately I'm very tired and I must go over a few more things before bed, fill out certain reports…we can finish this tomorrow." Agent Mahone strode out of the lounge.

"I guess I'm parking my fat pregnant ass down here tonight then." Charlotte flopped into a more comfy position on the couch.

By then most of the agents had cleared the room, a few escorted Jenny, Bucky, Philip and my mom and Tomas to the hospital so they could stay with Pierre and Kaleb. I never got the chance to ask anyone if they were going to be alright.

Worry gnawed at my entrails and I felt sick to my stomach. There were two agents that stayed behind with us like security detail, watching the prisoners, guarding us from any chance at escape.

Gabriel put a hand on my shoulder, "Come on, lets go home. I'm sure Jenny and Bucky left Abbey at our place and there's nothing else we can really do tonight anyway. We're not going anywhere." We started walking towards the entranceway, our wardens fallowing not far behind, but I turned back. "Charlie you don't have to stay at the inn, you and Jacque are welcome at our place. You guys can stay in Ulf's old room. Abbey can sleep on the couch, she's done it before when we've watched her."

"Okay," Charlotte got up and came toward us, "Wait a minute, where is Jacque? I thought he was with Jenny and Philip trying to help with Pierre, but I didn't see him when the ambulance left."

Gabriel looked out into the hall. A rough, troubled look passed over his sun darkened face before disappearing. "Nothing, I'm sure he's just with the five helping look over those measurements for the new addition to his sister's cabin."

"New addition?" Charlotte looked puzzled for a minute before her expression cleared. "Oh right, the new addition, with everything that's happened today I completely forgot about his sister's cabin."

Gabriel thought Jacque went looking for Jacqueline alone, in all the confusion when Pierre's ambulance was called, and if I got it right, Gabriel thought he expected to find her at Brigit's cabin. Her was going after his sister alone. Or maybe not, Gabriel had mentioned the five, obviously because they weren't at the center of all the activity here, it meant something more important must be happening elsewhere, and they were apart of it.

"Ah well, I'll just wait up for him then. I can wait at your mom's with Abbey for him if you want, no sense of you guys having to take care of her with all that's going on, and I don't mind the company while I wait. He shouldn't be too long, and your mom's will be less crowded with everyone gone anyway." Charlotte slipped out the sliding glass door and one of the agents followed her, staying a few paces behind, giving her space. She was in fact headed for Esme's, that at least was a good thing. I had hoped she wouldn't give away the whole thing by looking for Jacque while we were being watched.

"Should we go get Abbey?" I asked as we walked out of the front door. I was heavily aware of the eye of our assigned agent boring into our backs.

"Nah, you heard Charlotte. She wants to take care of her tonight." Gabriel's voice didn't sound quite right. I looked up at his familiar face but it was expressionless. I couldn't wait until we were in our own home and I could ask him what was going on.

We were almost to the door when a shadow came looming out of the woods next to our cabin. It was an unfamiliar shadow and not at all the one I expected.

**Yeah, its short again, please don't kill me! When I write these out in my notebook they take up a lot more space then they end up when I type them out, that's my excuse. I'll have more updates for you tomorrow! YAY! **

**Review please! You're in for a shock in the next chapter! Which will be out tomorrow too~ **

**:D melissaturkey **


	16. Unexpected Arrival

**~Here it is! Enjoy~**

**Blood or Chocolate: A New Generation, Part 1**

**Chapter 16: Unexpected Arrival**

The shadow stepped into the afternoon light and the agent behind us tensed, unsure if this was friend or foe, truly I had no idea who it was-but Gabriel did.

"How did you find us?" Gabriel's tall, strong form seemed to grow even taller, even broader as he stared at the loup-garou who was eye-level with him only feet away.

"What, not even a hug for your old man after all these years?" Erick Devereux stepped closer to Gabriel and I.

"Where were you Erick?"

"Ah, come on son, I'm your father." Erick had the most sheepish grin on his face. It made me want to punch his face. He acted like he had no idea what his being gone did to Naomi, Gabriel and the triplets.

"Where were you, father?" Gabriel sneered the name.

"Oh, just here and there. The woods in Oregon are beautiful this time of year, you should really see them."

"Aren't you going to ask how mom and the girls are?"

"Of course-how are they?"

"I don't want them to see you-leave, that's all you're good at doing anyway."

"Gabriel that is no way to talk to your father." Erick's voice was suddenly very harsh.

"Guess what _dad _I can talk to you however the hell I want to now-"

For the first time Erick seemed to take a look at Gabriel-his dominant stance, me standing strong by his side-and he laughed.

"You're-"

"Yes, Gabriel's owner of the inn now." I cut in. "He's boss and as you can see-" I gestured at the agent behind us- "we have a lot going on right now-so you need to leave."

"Ivan and Esme's daughter! The last time I saw you, you were such a little scrawny thing! You're a woman now! And a beauty too! I see you did well for yourself Gabriel."

Gabriel stepped in front of me, closer to his father. His voice was menacing as he said, "Leave, now!"

"I guess I never was around to teach you manners," Erick Devereux backed slowly into the woods. "I'll leave-for now. I'll come back at a more convenient time. But I will be back soon, I have lots of catching up to do with you and your sisters…and your mother."

"Leave." Gabriel's voice was a deadly growl now. I glanced nervously back at the agent who was just observing, which made me nervous.

And as quick as a shadow, he was gone again.

Gabriel stormed inside our cabin leaving nothing for me to do but to follow him. After I was inside he slammed the door shut on the nosy agents face.

"What the hell does he think he's doing here? How the hell does he think he has the right to just find us and come waltzing in here like he can bounce right back into our lives! And be my father, and my mom's husband! And he knows what this does to her! And he doesn't even give a damn!" Gabriel was pacing the length of the cabin like a caged animal, from the front door, across the living room and down the hall to the bedrooms and back again. He looked so powerful, so ready to spring I couldn't help but be afraid for the next person who angered him.

"Baby, come here. You know shouting about it for all the world and our _guests _to hear isn't going to solve anything."

"To hell with them! I can't-" Gabriel came to me and gripped my arms. "I can't deal with all this-I don't know how the hell I'm supposed to deal with him and mom and still worry about _them _too!"

I pulled him into my arms, sometimes-even though I was his equal in everyway- I felt like this was part of my duty-as a leader, as his mate: to keep the weight of all he had on his shoulders from crushing him. "Gabriel, look at me." I put my hands on either side of his face and forced him to look straight into my eyes. "How old were you when you started taking care of your mother and your sisters?"

He started to answer but I shushed him.

"It was a lot younger than the triplets are now right? At least the taking care of your mom part." I paused, knowing that what I was going to say next sounded callous and unsympathetic. Even though that was not at all what I was feeling at all, my heart was aching for him, but my sympathy would do nothing to help the situation. Sometimes people had to take care of themselves and that was the only way to it. You couldn't have someone behind you every step of your life telling you everything was okay. Sometimes you had to take a leap off the cliff on your own, be the first one. If you crashed-oh well, you had to learn how to get back up again on your own-just like a pup learning to run.

"Gabriel your mother is a grown woman and I know she's weak but-" I paused again. "She can't rely on her children to protect her from her own weakness forever. One of these days she has to stand up to your father and tell him he has no right to come around and mess up her life. She has to fight for her own happiness. And she can't do it if you constantly take care of her."

"So what am I supposed to do, just let him come and break her heart again?"

"I would rather you spent your time worrying over the lives of our pack than your mothers broken heart. It's been broken before-it'll mend."

For a minute Gabriel seemed angry, but I wasn't afraid. Being caged up like animals like this-not allowed to leave our inn, too afraid to run or hunt-it wasn't right and it did bad things to some of us. But I wasn't afraid of Gabriel lashing out at me-I was more afraid at what would happen to the pack as a result if he didn't. Because he could not under any circumstances lash out at the FBI.

Finally Gabriel sighed and his great broad shoulders shrugged, releasing a burden that shouldn't have been his to carry.

"What would I do without you?" He rested his forehead down against mine. I smiled pulling my lips up to his in a kiss that was long overdue after a day like this one.

"Mhhmm, probably trash grocery stores like Jacque used to do."

Gabriel laughed. "That feels like forever ago, almost five years…"

"So much has changed, _we've_ changed."

"We have." Gabriel kissed me suddenly, so quickly, so roughly I couldn't do anything but kiss him back.

I managed to sneak in a question as his lips sank down to my throat. "What's that for?"

"I don't know if the pack-we-are gonna be able to get out of this one." And that was the worst part- the real worry. While all the others in our pack believed Gabriel and I would find some solution, some magic plan that would get us out of this mess-and we didn't have one. That was the problem-when you knew it was only a matter of time-everything seemed desperate.

"Gabriel-" I wanted to tell him that it would be alright-that even if we didn't know what to do maybe Jacque had found Jacqueline, maybe he knew something we didn't, maybe…maybe…. But I knew it was all a lie. And I couldn't lie to him, not tonight, not ever. He was my husband, he was my mate, he was mine. Whether the FBI decided we were involved in the attack or not they would still kill us. And right now, knowing that, those three facts were all that I had to hold on to.

I kissed him fiercely, till I felt sweet blood in my mouth, and held him until all the desperation went away.

**Okay….so believe it or not that was not at all what I had planned for this chapter! But the good news is you know now who the shadow was and you got a little Gabriel/Viv time in there and that's always good right? ;) **

**Tell me what you feel about bringing his father into it, and anything else you'd like to share of course! **

**Review! **

**~melissaturkey~ **


	17. Midnight Shock

**Hey so I finally after nearly a month am getting back to updating this one! Sorry about that, I just have so many new stories I'm entertaining my imagination with! But here's this chapter! :D melissaturkey**

**Blood or Chocolate: A New Generation, Part 1**

**Chapter 17: Midnight Shock**

The urgent desperation vanished once we lay together unhindered by clothing, or actually more like slowed, not really vanished, because the need for Gabriel never really vanished.

It was times like these when he still seemed mysterious and unreadable like he had that first morning, when his eyes held that strange icy glint that I still couldn't place and popped up in strange moments.

I was curious. Out of all the things we had to worry about, think about, plan, all of the lives we were responsible for; which one was occupying his thoughts at this very moment?

"What are you thinking?" I asked, shivering as his hand roamed from mine.

"That maybe, at least for now, until we're sure about what's going to happen…that maybe we should stop trying to have pups." Gabriel's voice was deep, grave and serious.

After four years of wanting to be a father I knew this wasn't just about the uncertainty of our future at this point.

"Are you sure this doesn't have anything to do with _your _father showing up?"

"Maybe," Gabriel conceded. "But honestly tomorrow we don't know if we'll be killed, tortured or thrown in federal prison and if the worst does happen, I'd rather not be responsible for the death of our own pup before its even born."

"We don't know what's going to happen, but whatever does it will not be our fault. Jacqueline caused all this mess for us." I tried to say with as much conviction as I could given only hours earlier I'd felt at fault for Pierre's accident.

"Jacqueline wouldn't have been able to cause this mess if we did our job four years ago."

"It wasn't our place." I lifted up on my elbow to look down at him.

"Yes it was."

"We just underestimated her. Everyone did." I laid a hand on Gabriel's arm.

"Vivian, everyone is not in charge of the safety of this pack, this valley, and everyone in it. Not everyone in this town is loup-garou. They shouldn't have to pay for all this but what if they have to? What if Agent Mahone cant tell the difference between us and them and harms them?"

He was only voicing my own thoughts but I couldn't stand it. I jumped out of bed and screamed. It was a wordless scream, not directed at Gabriel but at the FBI, Jacqueline, and Giles for not finishing her off when he had the chance all those years ago, before she could become a problem. I let out a growl directed at Gabriel's father for setting us off tonight, then I huffed off into the hallway and grabbed a bucket of paint from the closet.

I extended my nails into wolfish claws once I entered the empty bedroom that had once been Ulf's, and tore open the lid. After I tossed the lid to the other side of the room, I threw the paint at the wall, watching yellow streaks leak down from the huge hideous glob in the center of the white wall.

I hadn't really painted in awhile and a big mess seemed like the place to start. Maybe if I worked out how to make this mess beautiful I could fix the mess we were in now.

"Vivian." Gabriel took the bucket and set it down on the floor, then he took my hands. "Through with your tantrum?" He asked and I laughed, all my sudden rage vanishing.

I wasn't left with sadness exactly when my anger was gone, just a sort of emptiness as all the tension went out of my body. Gabriel held me up and I rested my head on his shoulders.

He pulled back a little so he could look me in the eye. "I'll make you safe."

The same line, repeated once more. I hadn't believed him then either.

A few hours later, after we'd finally went to bed for the night to sleep, I was awoken by the weirdest sensation. I ran to the bathroom. I never had to pee in the middle of the night. But when I looked down to flush the toilet I saw why I had tonight. Old Aunt Persia's potion was finally working, the night we'd decided to stop trying.

Xx

"How is he?" I asked above the voices of pack members that surrounded my stepfather as he got out of Bucky's Tahoe, returning from the hospital to rest.

"Your brother or Pierre?" He sighed with fatigue.

"Both, but Kaleb first." I had put all thoughts of my midnight shock firmly from my head. I was going to forget about it, quit taking the remedy for now until Gabriel and I decided it was safe to start trying again. Surely what scar tissue that had come out before from my old poisoning, and what had come out now wasn't enough to matter. We would be safe until we decided it was time. I had nothing to worry about. Except the problems at hand, which was why I was throwing myself fully into making sure that my baby brother and Pierre were alright.

"He'll be fine. They gave him antibiotics to fight his infection and put him in an ice bath to cool his fever."

So basically what we'd already been doing.

"And Pierre?" Charlotte asked, coming up to stand beside me from out of nowhere.

"He'll be fine too. It took them awhile to find out what he was reacting to, apparently that boy is allergic to everything, but once they talked to Jenny to find out all the ingredients of her remedy, they sorted him all out. But he'll be there a few weeks. Doc seems to think he has to stay until all his wounds are healed. Moon, I'd hate to pay his medical bill."

"Our pack will help him out." Charlotte didn't even sound concerned really. In fact, she had a very blank expression on her face. I wanted to ask her about it but I wanted to ask Tomas one last thing before I let him rest.

"When will they release Kaleb?"

"A few days. Besides the infection, the toe is healing fine, along with the rest of his injuries. Jenny said she'd stay with him if your mother wanted to go home and rest but she insisted on staying."

"So where are Jenny and Bucky?"

"Jen's with Phillip looking after Pierre. She feels horrible about the whole thing. I drove home, Buck's I the backseat conked out already."

"Oh, okay thanks Tomas."

"No problem. Well, I'm going to go rest for a few hours. Is Abbey still at the house? She should probably come and wake Bucky up."

"She's already at their cabin, Jacque's watching her." The way Charlotte said it sounded really strange but Tomas wasn't curious enough, or not awake enough, to bother asking about it. He just shrugged his shoulders and headed in a zombie-like manner to the cabin that held the bed with his name on it.

"What was that all about?" I pulled her aside.

"Jacque is using Bucky's place as a…holding cell for his sister. We were waiting for you and Gabriel."

For a minute I stopped breathing. "Do you mean he caught Jacqueline?"

Charlotte snorted. "Not hardly. No, Bridget. When he got to her place she was hiding stuff in a closet, clothes and shoes that weren't hers. And there's something else you should know about."

"What?"

"Jacque should tell you. Do you think we should wake Bucky? We are using his cabin and Abbey's there."

"Yeah, uh, you wake Bucky, and I'll get Gabriel."

Gabriel had gone into the inn this morning in hopes of talking to Agent Mahone, but when I arrived it appeared they wouldn't even let him in.

"I own this place! I'm not under arrest! What right do they have to lock me out of my own property?" Gabriel growled under his breath.

"Forget that for now. Jacque has Bridget at Bucky's." I placed a hand on his arm and started leading him to the cabin.

"Wha-?" He started to ask when Bucky appeared blurry eyed and scruffy from the Tahoe with Charlotte at his elbow.

"Since when is my place the pack prison?" He grumbled, yawning.

"Since you and Jenny weren't home and it was the only empty place." Charlotte took the lead ahead of us. I glanced at her walking hand on belly, a living breathing reminder of last night's shock.

"Hey, you okay?" I asked lengthening my stride to walk alongside her.

"No worse than anybody else." Charlotte smiled over at me. Instantly the calm blue eyes of my friend had their normal effect on me; I wanted to spill my guts, and tell her about last night, even if I couldn't tell Gabriel.

"Hey, after we take care of Bridget do you think we could talk later?"

Charlotte glanced back at Gabriel and Bucky walking a few paces behind us. "Yeah, sure, everything alright?"

I laughed. "No, everything's falling apart, but what else is new?"

"Yeah." She grinned.

"Daddy!" Abbey ran from the cabin.

"Abbey!" Bucky caught the little girl up into his arms.

"Is Kaleb okay?"

"Yeah baby he's gonna be fine." Bucky was awake now, mood instantly brightened by the little girl. I looked on, acutely aware of last night.

I led everyone into Bucky and Jenny's cabin. "Bridget." Charlotte greeted her civilly.

"Charlie." Bridget was sitting regally in Jenny's rocking chair like she owned it, completely disregarding the fact that she was brought here as a criminal. I always hated Jacque's sisters.

Once everyone was in the front room the cabin felt very crowded.

"My vote is torture her until she tells us where Jacqueline is." Bucky offered his opinion, moving past us to the hall. "I'm going to go watch Balto with Abbey. Tell me when you're done using my home as headquarters."

I cracked a smile despite myself, but then immediately became serious. "So Jacque what was it you wanted to tell us?"

Jacque exchanged glances with Charlotte who moved to stand beside him. "Maybe you should sit down first."

"Just tell us." Gabriel leaned against a wall and crossed his arms.

"Jacqueline has an accomplice."

**Uh oh! Originally this was so much longer but I figured I should make it a two-part chapter because of all the information that's going to be brought up. REVIEW! **

**:D melissaturkey **


	18. Decision

**A lot of people were under the impression that Vivian was pregnant, but she's not. The whole midnight shock thing was to allude to the irony of how just as her and Gabriel make the decision to quit trying, now the poison she's been taking is working and there's nothing stopping her from becoming pregnant. But she's not pregnant yet, I thought there was a line in there saying about how careful she was going to be now, but I guess I wasn't clear enough, sorry about that! **

**Anyway! On with the story! :D melissaturkey **

**Blood or Chocolate: A New Generation, Part 1. **

**Chapter 18: Decision **

"Jacqueline has an accomplice" The words rung in my ears. Well, of course she does, our lives couldn't possibly get much worse at this point could they?

"Who is it?" Of course Gabriel got right down to business while I was still processing the information.

"He's not from here." Bridget supplied. "He's just some rogue she got involved with after Giles exiled her."

"Tell us about him." Gabriel ordered.

Bridget sighed like answering his question was a terrible inconvenience for her. "From what I gather his name is Darien. I don't know much about him. Jacqueline sometimes stayed at the house, but he never did. He preferred the caves. He usually got the victims from all around. Jacqueline thought it was important to get humans from all over the state so it would attract more authorities to the area."

"And you knew what they were doing and you didn't do anything to stop it? This effects you too you know!" I wanted to break her neck-no that would be to quick; I wanted to pull her hair out and slap her, hard, and then pull out all her perfectly manicured nails, and then I'd break her neck.

"I was going to go away on my honeymoon and never come back, but don't you go dragging Corbin into this, he doesn't know a thing. We were going to be gone before any of this got out of hand, but Jacqueline had to go and steal some FBI guy's goddaughter."

"What, you mean she knew who Claire was?" I asked.

"Yeah, of course she did! She planned it. The police weren't coming when they were supposed to, so she did some research. She found out little Claire was related to FBI and was going to be traveling a certain day. She planned on taking her." Bridget pulled out a nail file and started messing with her nails.

I pulled it out of her hand and broke it in half.

"Does she plan on taking anymore humans now that she's got the FBI's attention?" I asked throwing the nail file in the trash.

"They aren't doing anything. That's why she had to attack Pierre and that agent. I was actually upset about that. She was only supposed to attack the agent, but Pierre tried to play the hero. I was still mad she attacked Pierre though, how was she supposed to know which one it was? What if it had been Philip?" For a minute a worried expression marred her pretty face.

"What about Philip?" I asked to the shock of everyone in the room; no one was supposed to know about their affair. But if it was over it shouldn't matter now, and I didn't mind getting Bridget in trouble and Philip was with Claire, so it didn't matter. "What were you trying to pull fooling around with him when you were engaged?"

"Philip's a sweet boy. He always had a crush on me in high school, and when Jacqueline came back and asked me to cover for her, while I was planning a wedding I might add, I was stressed; I needed a distraction, and Philip's so sweet…"

I spit on her.

"Hey!" She shouted wiping it off.

"Is there anything else of importance you'd like to tell us before we decide what to do with you?" Gabriel asked, interrupting the inevitable rant that had been brewing.

"No, I don't know where they are if that's what you're asking."

"What about any more of their plans?" Jacque asked completely ignoring that this was his sister he was questioning.

"Well they were supposed to be at the house when you showed up, dear brother. They probably saw you and decided not to drop by."

"Or they were late and now they're there waiting for you…" Charlotte mused.

"Thank you Bridget you've just supplied us with the perfect trap to catch your sister." Gabriel and Jacque headed toward the door.

"Wait." I stopped them. "When Jacque snuck out to see Bridget it was the middle of the night. Its broad daylight now, you cant just waltz out of here and expect the FBI not to notice. They're not that incompetent."

"Yeah, then what are we supposed to do? We still have a duty to take care of this ourselves." Jacque questioned.

"We have to tell them." It was the only thing I could think to do.

"What? Vivian are you insane? They'd kill us for sure! What are we supposed to say 'Yep Mr. Mahone, you were right all along! We are a band of scary werewolves, but we thought you outta know cause the scarrier one you're after could be sitting around just waiting for us to show up!'" Jacque asked sarcastically.

"That's exactly what we're going to say!" I said seriously. "We're going to work out a deal. All the information we know on the people who are really behind these killings in exchange for the freedom of us and our packs because we have nothing to do with it and we're cooperating."

"But Viv," Gabriel tried to reason with me. "Exposing ourselves is never the answer, right now there's room for doubt, and if we can take care of this situation or give them something to blame there's a possibility this could all blow over. Tell them what we are, and we're sure to be dead by the day is done, us and everyone else in this town."

"Not necessarily, you think that just because we are what we are and they're human means they'll want to kill us, and yeah considering they're the government there's a huge chance that's true. But look at this town! Humans live with us every day and aren't afraid. They don't want to kill us because we're different."

"No, but it's been bred into them over hundreds of years not to fear us, just like its been bred into us to trust our secret with the locals. But trust like that is not just going to happen overnight." Jacque joined in.

"It did with Claire, the moment she realized Philip was one of us." I said softly.

"That's different." Gabriel disagreed gently.

"How is it different?" I challenged.

"When you're in love you try and rationalize things against your nature. You know that, we both do." He was thinking of his human girl, and Aiden. But I knew this was the right choice no matter what our pasts told us.

"It shouldn't matter with Claire fighting on our side. She has every one of those agents in her back pocket, all she has to do is say jump. Mahone might try and resist but he loves her like she's his own daughter, he won't want to kill anything she loves."

"It's too risky. I say we take care of it ourselves." Jacque's jaw was locked, determined.

We were at a standstill. With the four of us working together it had to be unanimous and Jacque and I were at two completely different positions. Gabriel really agreed with Jacque, but he wasn't going to strongly oppose anything I believed in. I forgot about Charlotte until she spoke up.

"I agree with Vivian." She came to stand beside me.

"What?" Jacque had clearly counted on her taking his side.

"Look, you guys keep thinking you'll find some way to fight your way out of this mess and then it'll just blow over, but with us stuck here as prisoners when are we going to get a chance? What if we don't get a chance? Then we'll have done nothing to stop what's going to happen. At least with Vivian's plan we know we have a chance to save all our friends," She paused to place Jacque's hand on her small round belly, "And our families."

Jacque looked down at her, wavering. "Put it this way," She continued, "if our way fails you'll have the satisfaction of knowing you were right all along. But if our plan works, no one will say I told you so." Charlotte smiled up at him.

"I will." Bridget quipped from the other side of the room.

"No you won't. You'll be dead either way so it won't matter." Jacque shot back.

"Jacque! She's your sister!" Charlotte protested.

"From now on I don't have any sisters; they're all murderous, conniving nuts! And that pup of ours better be a boy because all the women in my family are psychotic."

"So you'll do it our way then?" She asked hopefully.

"Yeah I guess, but if this goes horribly wrong I reserve the right to blame Vivian."

"That's okay by me." I laughed and the four of us walked out of Bucky's cabin to expose ourselves to Agent Mahone.

**Oh my! I didn't want to put this in the last chapter because I thought the decision to tell the agents what they were and about Jacqueline might distract from the whole "Jacqueline has an accomplice/Vivian can get pregnant" thing and I wanted to hear your thoughts on that :D **

**So tell me what you think! Do YOU think they should tell? Do you think Claire will stick up for them? What do you think they should do with Bridget; remember when you answer that that she hasn't killed anyone, she just knew what was going on. **

**Review, tell me what you think! :D melissaturkey **


	19. Confession

_**Sorry its been so long! After I got back from my UK/ Ireland trip I had to go straight back to work, then school…and it was a really hectic transition. But the good news is that with school up and going again I'll have some semblance of a schedule and I can write more. So again, sorry that updates are so erratic- it's a far cry from the everyday updates I started my first story with, but I'm trying- life just got busier. **_

_**But anyway, no one cares, so lets proceed with the story shall we? :D**_

_**Disclaimer: (since I haven't done one in months: I don't own the characters from the books, just the random original characters I've made up at the top of my head along the way….:- ))**_

**Blood or Chocolate: A New Generation, Part 1**

**Chapter 19: Confession**

Gabriel's jaw was tense as we walked towards the inn. I knew this was tough for him, just giving in like this. He didn't have the same incentive as Jacque and Charlotte; he didn't have a pup on the way to protect, a reason to try all options-including the most risky.

I was different. I knew that we now had a chance at the same future and I couldn't give it up. Gabriel would just have to trust me.

"It's going to be fine. We have to find a way to get them on our side, and right now Mahone isn't searching as hard as he could because he thinks he has the culprits-us- but if we tell him what we know… well all he wants is to get whoever attacked Claire." this entire confession plan relied on if he loved Claire as much as we thought he did.

"What if he decides we're too dangerous to keep alive?" Gabriel asked as Jacque knocked on the back door.

"Then we take care of our problem the only way we know how." I looked him straight in the eye. He knew the old Laws as well as I did.

"You mean-?" He started.

I just nodded. We'd just have to get Jacque's pack to go along with it.

"Alright." Gabriel nodded his head as an agent opened the door.

Charlotte stepped forward. "We need to speak to Agent Mahone."

"Special Agent Mahone is not seeing anyone at the moment." The agent replied.

"Well he'd better otherwise he'll miss out on some important information." I snapped. "Like the identity of the person who kidnapped and attacked his goddaughter."

We watched as the young agent's eyes widened. "Oh, uh well…. Come on in, I'll go get him."

"It's my inn, I don't need you to invite me in." Gabriel pushed passed him and walked on into the sitting room.

"Jeesh Gabriel, who taught you your manners?" Jacque commented as we all took our seats.

"Not my father that's for sure." Gabriel tapped his fists impatiently on the leather upholstery of the armchair. "Speaking of the jackass, I wonder if he's still hanging around here." Gabriel looked around suspiciously. "I could probably ask Agent Mahone. I'm sure he has this entire place bugged by now."

"Gabriel! What are you doing?" I reached over and slapped his knee. Gabriel was never this openly disgusted in front of anyone.

Then I caught his expression.

My comment had shook him up, knowing what we would have to do if this didn't work out. I didn't like it either, but it would be the only way. My only worry was that I would be separated from Gabriel, my mother and my brother.

Charlotte looked over at me questioningly, but I just shook my head. Now wasn't the time or place to tell them about this-especially since we had every reason to believe this room was wired.

"I've been told you have new information for me." Agent Mahone came striding in confidently-well of course he was, he had us all trapped here like bunnies in a cage. But we were not prey and we would not be treated like it.

"We do. Sit down." Gabriel gestured to a seat.

Mahone narrowed his eyes but took a seat.

"We know who's responsible for the attacks." Charlotte began.

"Well are you going to tell me? Or have you come to turn yourselves in?"

"No but we have come to make a deal." I started.

"Yes? I'm listening."

"We don't trust you-you or any of the other agents. We want Claire here to make sure you keep your word." I continued.

"How about we let Claire rest and let my two agents here-" he pointed out the two agents guarding the exit, "and this recorder" he pulled a device from his pocket and set it on the low coffee table between us, "be our witnesses?"

"No, we will not tell you what we know unless Claire is here." Gabriel's face was set and his voice final.

Different desires played across Mahone's face-the desire to get our information and double cross us and his desire to see Claire's attacker punished. The revenge won out, just like we'd hoped it would.

"Agent Donaldson bring Claire from her room please."

"You're doing the right thing Charles, David would have done the same." Agent Donaldson patted Mahone on the back. He was the same wizened agent that had disagreed with "Uncle Chuck" the night before.

"Did I ask for your opinion?" Mahone said coldly.

"No sir. But that's just another thing David would have done, that you don't." Agent Donaldson retorted and walked away smartly to do his job.

Mahone shook his head and glared at us when he saw us watching this exchange. We met his gaze directly, though I'm sure we were all wondering who this David was.

It seemed to take an eternity filled with awkward silence, but eventually we saw Agent Donaldson wheeling in Claire.

She looked loads better than the last time we saw her. Clearly she was responding well to Jenny's treatment and healing fast. If it wasn't for the giant chunk missing from her leg, she could probably walk around on her own, despite all her other injuries. You couldn't even see red through the other bandages on her various wounds. It meant she would be 100% in no time. Even though she wasn't one of my own, I was relieved.

"Petey said you need me." Claire's tone was belligerent. Clearly, she was not pleased with Uncle Chuck about something. It never failed to amuse me that she knew all the agents by name or nick-name; I myself could not picture the stoic old man who stood up to Mahone as "Petey."

"Actually we need you," I said before Mahone could answer her.

I caught her eyes, hoping she would catch the pleading look in them. She blinked. I had no idea what she meant by that. "To witness a deal between us and Agent Mahone." I continued.

"Okay, sure, what's the deal?" Claire looked from Mahone to us, waiting for one of us to speak.

"That's what I would like to know. You're giving us all the information you have in exchange for what exactly?"

"Protection. You have to promise that you won't harm us or our people after we tell you everything." Charlotte spoke up.

"Alright." After a moments hesitation Mahone turned on the recorder and sat back in his seat.

Gabriel reached over and turned off the recorder. "What we say stays between us and the agents you have here. Its strictly off the record. No one else from the FBI needs to know. This can't end up in a file somewhere."

Agent Mahone nodded his head once. I could tell he was speaking through clenched teeth when he said, "Understood. Please continue."

"What you guessed about us is true. We're…for lack of a better word- werewolves. But we call ourselves loup-garou, its French for-" Jacque was interrupted.

"Wolf, or werewolf, yes I know, go on."

"Well, we're normally…peaceful, but sometimes… someone will get out of line. When that happens, we deal with it."

"Like you dealt with Axel Thor?" This question was directed at Gabriel.

"He was one of those that stepped out of line. Our leader had to take care of him and we had to make it look like an accident." Gabriel said simply.

"And when a woman named Astrid and a boy named Rafe Dafoe died, you were just policing your own then too? After you let them kill several times, of course?"

"We don't always know who it is in time." Gabriel answered once more.

"What if its you? What if it's the leader that went bad? Even once in his past? Who takes care of him?"

Gabriel didn't say anything.

"We're usually good judges when its accidental and when its just killing for blood." I stepped in and brought us back to the point. "Sometimes one of us will step out of line, but we don't think they're dangerous to anyone but the pack, so they're exiled."

"And you're going to try and tell me that the monster behind these attacks is a rogue-an exile you have no control over?"

"Four years ago a mistake was made and now humans in this area are paying for Jacqueline's revenge against us. We were trying to correct the problem by hunting her down. You got involved and now we can't do our duty without worrying about you finding us out and pinning it all on us." Gabriel continued.

"So you're blaming me this bitch is not caught." Mahone raised his eyebrows.

"If you weren't blinded by prejudice maybe you'd see it. But that's not the point, the point is my sister knows where Jacqueline and her accomplice might be right now. But we knew if we tried to go after them you'd follow us and see what we were and then we'd all be killed, so Vivian suggested we make a deal." Jacque explained.

"If you want to try and help us catch them, then good, but there really isn't much you can do once you have them- you should leave them to us." Charlotte said, looking straight into Mahone's eyes, willing him to agree.

"Alright, tell me where they are."

* * *

We agreed that us wolves would make our way to Bridget's home through the woods and the agents would drive. Gabriel, Bucky, Raul, Rolf, Finn, Gregory and I came from our pack, and Jacque and six of his best fighters came from theirs; Charlotte would be staying behind; it was too dangerous for her and the baby.

It felt good, after what had seemed like forever being cooped up not allowed to change, to be out and running again. Despite the grim business we would be doing to Jacqueline and her lover and possibly Jacque's other sister Bridget (we had brought her along as a witness to Jacqueline' s wrongdoing), I couldn't help but share a wolfish smile with Gabriel; soon we would be done with this whole mess, and free to live our lives.

We beat the FBI there by a good four minutes. We had agreed not to make a move until they arrived, but a rustle in the woods behind us as we approached the lawn had us whirling around to see an unfamiliar loup-garou.

Jacqueline's accomplice: Darien.

The strange loup-garou looked like he belonged in the wild with his rangy, unhealthily thin, long-limbed frame and wild eyes. His tawny fur was matted and mangy, red in places where blood from his victims had dried on his pelt. He growled low and deep as he leaped into the path between us and the wooded edge of the yard.

Instantly Gabriel, Jacque, and the others were surrounding him: 14 against one. He'd never really had a chance, even with me guarding Bridget to make sure she didn't run away. Still, we didn't attack him and he didn't attack us. We were at a stand-still.

It was then that I remembered Jacqueline. She would have been in the house and heard the growls and been alerted of trouble; she could have run off.

I ran back towards the house and around it to the front door. Sure enough, there was Jacqueline, a thin red-brown female who snarled as I blocked her pack. Maybe her lover had been trying to create a distraction so she could escape, but it hadn't worked. We had them.

I was near gloating their defeat when she turned tail and ran back towards the backdoor. I followed her, pushing through the front door, still in my fur, I chased after her, through the house, through the door, and leaped off the back porch.

I shouldn't have worried about her getting away; Gabriel jumped into her path just before she could get lost in the woods. I barely had time to process this however, before a sharp pain hit the back of my neck and a weight fell upon my back, pinning me down to the ground before I knew what hit me.

It was Bridget. I tried to spin my head around and jerk her off, but her grip on my neck was too firm and I couldn't shake her, so I slammed myself backwards, against the porch, ramming her again and again into the hard, dense wood. Eventually I felt her grip slacken and I took the opportunity to jerk her from my back. I landed back on all four paws only to find a red-brown blur coming at me.

Jacqueline had somehow managed to escape through the triangular cage Gabriel, Finn and Gregory had made with their bodies, and was now attaching me before my mind had even processed another attack.

Luckily, Jacqueline still made the same mistakes she had four years ago; she attacked from the front, and she attacked to wound and maim not for a direct kill. She grabbed my ear and bit down and slashed her claws down my back.

I wrapped my paws around to return the fierce embrace only to bring them across her neck. She let go instantly, howling in outrage and pain. Gabriel and Gregory cornered her again, this time against the side of the house, where she could not find an easy escape.

But while I had been fighting Bridget and Jacqueline, Darien had also been putting up a fight. It took all of Jacque's best fighters and Bucky to back him against a tree, where he couldn't do any harm. But after I'd been through with Bridget she'd attacked Finn and now Jacque, Rolf, and Raul were pinning her to the ground.

I felt nauseated and weak, blood escaping from the wound Bridget had inflicted upon my neck and the other minor wounds Jacqueline had managed to cause. I was relieved when the agents came with the tranquilizers for our three guilty; it had been part of the deal, Mahone wanted to question them first, before he turned them over to us.

The agents were loading their immobile forms onto the back of a truck when I collapsed against Gabriel's side.

"Oh baby, not again." He said shifting into his skin. It was the last thing I heard.

**Reviewing encourages speedy updates! **


	20. A Small Revenge

**Please don't murder me! I've had the biggest case of writers block I've ever had in my life, plus other…personal issues…But anyway here's a short (extremely short) chapter! Again please don't murder me! I really do try! ~melissaturkey **

**P.S. I'm **_**not **_**going to stop writing this or any of my stories any time soon. I love you guys too much! **

**Blood and Chocolate: A New Generation, Part 1**

**Chapter 20: A Small Revenge **

I cursed myself as I regained consciousness. This was the second time a Lefevre sister had gotten the better of me in a fight, causing me to loose enough blood to faint. It was unacceptable! I am Vivian Devereux: daughter of Ivan Gandillon, Gabriel mate, Queen bitch and a leader of my pack and my town! I couldn't let some scrawny bitch and her psychopathic, psychotic sister take me down!

"She's awake." A voice pronounced before I'd even opened my eyes, prompting me to open them to see who was tending to my wounds. I wasn't worried, obviously I was fine, but I was curious as to who was acting as healer in Jenny's absence.

For a few moments the kind, wrinkled face didn't register, but then it did: Claire's great aunt Abigail. What was she even doing here? She always seemed to pop up at the oddest times. It still hadn't escaped my notice that she'd once been a regular guest at the inn. Why had she always come here? Had she known about us even before this whole mess started?

"How are you feeling?" She asked pleasantly.

Before I could answer Gabriel's hand tightened around mine and distracted me. "Vivian."

"Yeah?" I asked, turning my head so I could look into his worried blue eyes.

"Why is it that every time I turn my head you're getting into a fight and feinting?"

"Hey!" I protested even as I saw the teasing glint in his eyes, "It was only twice, and next time I won't let those stupid bitches get the better of me!"

"Of course you won't." Gabriel said seriously, "But lets just hope there's not a next time."

"Yes, that was a very close call. You lost a lot of blood." Aunt Abigail fussed with my pillows.

"Why did you tend to me?" I asked. "I mean I really appreciate it and everything, but I assumed someone else-"

"You don't have to be loup-garou to be a healer, darling. I was a nurse for 35 years. I think that makes me as much a healer as Amber. Well, perhaps not as magical…but…"

Gabriel's brow furrowed. "Our healer's name is Jenny."

"For now. Until a brighter spark comes along." She let her eyes rest briefly on mine. I understood.

With all the troubles around me I'd nearly forgotten the monumental news of my recent change in fertility. I looked over at Gabriel to see if he suspected anything. But he was still puzzling out who Amber was and how Aunt Abigail knew her, but it was obvious to me.

Amber would be the name of our first born daughter. Our true healer. The healer even Aunt Persia foresaw being born, before she died nearly three years ago.

I didn't have to wonder why or how Abigail knew. It was probably the same way she knew just when to show up, and why she had visited the inn so much. It shouldn't be so hard for a werewolf to concede that there may be truth in human tales of clairvoyants and psychics.

"What-?" Gabriel started to question.

"I'll explain later." I interrupted him.

"Why do I feel worried?"

"You shouldn't. It's a good surprise." I leaned up, careful of my wounds, and kissed Gabriel lightly, aware of our growing human audience.

"Yes, Agent Donaldson?" I looked past Gabriel to the graying agent Claire had called "Petey" and another older agent who I'd once heard Mahone address as Agent Lewis.

"I'd like to speak to Abigail if you don't mind ma'am?" Agent Donaldson was very respectful, the only agent that had acknowledged our power here.

"No, that's fine."

"What does Charles want now, Peter?" Abigail sat back in her chair, content to carry on their conversation right here.

"I'm sorry Abigail, but he wants you to go home and to have an agent escort Claire back to his house now that she's better and all the trouble seems to be over."

"He's trying to get us out of the way so we won't protest when he goes back on his word." Abigail's voice was harsh. "That man has had vengeance on the brain ever since David was killed out here."

"His best friend was murdered. It was understandable back then, but now its just an obsession. He couldn't catch the monster that took his partner away from him so now he won't settle for the killers we have now." Donaldson conceded.

"You're ri-"

"Agent Mahone is planning on sentencing us all to death?" Gabriel interrupted.

"I'm afraid he plans to, off the record of course; he wouldn't want anyone in Washington getting a whiff of this scandal." Agent Lewis entered the conversation.

"But why? What happened to Claire's father?" I couldn't help but ask.

"He and his wife were murdered in this area on vacation when Claire was seven. Apparently David had stumbled across an animal murdering someone while on a nature hike and tried to stop it, shooting it with his gun. It didn't kill the beast but it startled it away. He reported the incident to the local authorities and turned in the body. Imagine his surprise when the attack was covered up. He did some digging. He became convinced something suspicious was going on in this area, shortly before he witnessed one of your kind changing from beast to man. He shared his suspicions with his wife and called Charles." Donaldson explained.

"Charles came and laughed in David's face." Lewis continued. "He called him insane for creating such a tale. They were best friends, and everyone in the department loved working with them, but Charles wasn't like David. He didn't have the same open mind or kind spirit. So when he told his friend he thought he was nuts and refused to believe his story, he meant it."

"So David went after the beast himself and it proved to be a mistake." Abigail finished. "He stumbled upon Green Mountain Valley and its peaceful inhabitants and realized he couldn't go after one without hurting them all. He met with their leader, a youthful looking old man by the name of Giles Delvin who told him he would take care of it. But before he could, David and his wife were killed by the rouge. It was only by chance that the night they were murdered Claire was staying with me."

I doubted it was by chance, more than likely Abigail had sensed danger and took the child to save her.

"Charles found them and realized what had happened. He was disgusted with himself that he had not just listened to his friend." Donaldson shook his head. "Charles went a little crazy after that, making silver handcuffs and bullets 'just in case' and moving to Vermont so in his free time he could try and get revenge for David's death. He didn't know of this place until now."

And Jacqueline led him here. I make a mental note to punch her later.

"And now that he does he's going to kill us all because of something some rouge did a decade ago?" Gabriel snorted. "That hardly seems fair."

"We caught the real killers for him, shouldn't that be enough?" I asked.

"No, but hopefully with Claire and Abigail here you can get him to keep his word." Lewis supplied.

"Oh, yes, hopefully. Tell me, do you always talk about me and my family behind my back or is this just a new thing?" Claire growled, crossing her arms across her chest, from her wheelchair in the doorway. Her expression was furious.

Phillip, who must have just recently returned from the hospital, was right beside her so when she wheeled away, livid, he followed her.

"What-?" I looked after her. I was concerned but also uncertain. Why was she so upset?

"Claire is very touchy when it comes to people talking about her parents' death." Abigail explained. "She was very close to them and it was really hard on her when they died."

Grief was something I knew about. Sometimes it was still hard to believe that something as simple as a fire had taken down my father. But I was also sure that a few tears were nothing Phillip couldn't handle.

"Well, I guess we should warn Mahone if he turns on us there will be consequences." I started to get up from bed. Gabriel and Abigail instantly moved to push me down.

"Let me handle it, baby." Gabriel insists.

I pushed past them and got to my feat, blinking back the dizziness from the loss of blood and look at Gabriel when I speak. "I'm doing this with you. Its my duty and I _will _help you."

For a moment I think Gabriel is going to resist and I know that I won't be able to fight him if he does, but he doesn't. He relents and instead takes my hand. "Alright, lets do it then, my Queen." He smiles and the agents stand aside to let us pass.

We expect to find Mahone in the lounge but a helpful agent directs us to the dining room, still believing in our momentary alliance, but when we reach the dining room Mahone isn't there either. Our traitors, however, are."

I instantly see why he's holding them in the dining area though; the blood from the wounds he induces during cruel questioning comes out better here than on carpet.

"Well, well, well if it isn't my favorite person." Jacqueline sneers when I enter the room, Gabriel at my side.

"Can somebody gag her?" I look around at the agents standing guard.

"Agent Mahone wants them able to talk, ma'am." A young agent by the door answers.

"Oh, hoping she'll spill some secrets is he?" I ask conversationally coming to prowl around where Jacqueline is bound in silver to a sturdy oak chair. I see small cuts have been carefully drawn into her skin at her wrists, not enough to bleed much, but enough so the silver burns. I realize now would be a good time to get my small revenge.

"Vivian, he's not here. Lets go." Gabriel watches as I stare down Jacqueline.

"One minute. I have a point to get across." I tell him before punching Jacqueline right in the face.

"That's for my brother's toe, you bitch." I snarl and then walk away, towards her sister.

"Hey Bridget?" I say as I face her.

"What you gonna punch me too?" She dares me with her eyes.

"No." I scratch her wrist, widening the cut there that's identical to her sister's. "That's for making me bleed."

Then I return back to Gabriel.

"Feel better?" He asked as we walked away, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

"A little bit, yeah."

**Please review! Tell me what you liked, what you hated, anything! I know the Mahone/ Claire's parents backstory is a bit long winded, but I had to explain why he had the handcuffs made :P**


	21. Finally

_Note to the anonymous reviewer _**charles stuart**:

**Email addresses don't appear in reviews unless you put it in the box that says email under your name when you give the anonymous review. I'm sorry I wasn't able to reply to your very sweet message. I do eventually intend to edit Blood OR Chocolate and comb over every chapter and add the wedding as an epilogue but I just haven't had time. If you'd like an advanced, unedited version, I'd be happy to send it to you, but you'll need to put your email address in the correct box or maybe get a fan fic account so I can PM it to you. Thanks again so much for the review and the inspiration! **_:D melissaturkey _

_Note to the anonymous reviewer _**rosealynne: Thank you! And yeah, I'm much better! **

**BTW: **_**Viv's not pregnant yet…but she can become so now! The poison remedy succeeded in the job of making her able to have pups, now all that's left is a little help on Gabriel's part and…well then she will be ;)**_

Now without any further ado….

**Blood or Chocolate: A New Generation, Part 1 **

**Chapter 21: Finally**

Is it really so much to ask to have one nice, peaceful day with my husband? A day without having to worry if any moment the FBI is going to descend with fire and silver bullets? Of course it is!

But, as Gabriel and I walked down the hall into the front parlor of our inn, we decided that, for now, all we can really do is wait for Mahone's next move. And that there is no reason we can't relax while we wait. Worrying until we pull our claws out won't do us any good.

"Let's stop by my mother's first. I haven't checked in on her since ….Well I want to check on her." Gabriel said as we crossed the backyard towards our cabin.

"Sure." It didn't take a genius to figure out he was worried news of his father's return had reached Naomi.

Naomi Devereux lay curled up on the living room couch when we arrived minutes later. She was sobbing and when Gabriel hurried to her side to ask her what was wrong, I knew, just like he did, that it was his father.

"He was here!" She wailed. "He was r-r-ri-ight here at the i-i-inn and he didn't e-e-evan come here b-be-before he took off a-a-again!"

"Mother that's my fault I-" Gabriel started but was cut off when I advanced forward….

And slapped his mother.

If Gabriel had known what I was going to do, he would have stopped me. But, as it was, I saw a sad, pathetic woman who sorely needed a wake-up call, and I gave it to her. Never-mind that she's my mother-in-law.

Her sobbing ceased.

"He's an asshole. A lazy, good-for-nothing, asshole. Do you know what I would do if Gabriel ran off on me and treated me like that? I wouldn't sit here on my ass and bawl about what's never going to change! I'd kick his tail to the curb, and tell him he wasn't welcome anywhere near me ever again! Why's that? Because I have a backbone and it's about time you grew one. Erick Devereux is never going to change and unless you accept that and move on, you're going to live the rest of your life crying over a stupid male who's not even worth it."

She just looked at me and blinked. I don't think anyone had even told her that before. I doubt anyone has ever done anything but pity her. Well, that was about to change. I wouldn't let her sit around moping any longer. Tomorrow I was sending her to Esme, with strict orders to straighten her up and teach her how a loup-garou female should act; we did not cower and whimper when our mates disappointed us! We went out and ripped payback on his ass!

"Vivian." Gabriel looked at me like he didn't know quite what to do or say. It was a rare thing when Gabriel didn't know what to do. I smirked in satisfaction.

The triplets crept around a corner and stared, glancing between their mother and me. Lucy looked at me with something like awe on her face. Finally. After nearly 5 years since Gabriel and I first got together, I was finally getting some respect.

"Tomorrow, Esme's going to take you to town. You're going to get some new clothes, and troll the town for any poor, unsuspecting male who looks like he'd be a good rebound." I almost expected her to argue, but she didn't.

"Okay," Was all she said, still in a state of shock.

"Okay," I took Gabriel by the arm and led him toward the door. All my good work would go to waste if he babied her now. "We'll see you tomorrow."

We were almost out the door when Lucy called my name. "Vivian?"

"Yeah, Luce?" I turned back.

"How's Pierre doing?"

Oh no. The last thing we needed was Lucy growing too fond of a Carver brother nearly twice her age.

"He's gonna be fine." I reassured her and led my mate out the door.

Gabriel and I walked back to the cabin in silence.

Finally, Gabriel had to say, "Someone's on a roll today: first Jacqueline, then Bridget, and now my mother."

"Someone has to take care of things around here." I teased and brushed against him as we past through our front door.

"Does taking care of things mean keeping secrets?" His eyes, so piercing and so blue, met mine and I knew he was wondering about earlier with Aunt Abigail.

"It wasn't a secret I was going to keep for long." I tugged him to the couch.

"So tell me." It wasn't a demand, but with Gabriel statements often sounded that way.

Somehow, this seemed so anticlimactic. For four years, we had wrestled with the knowledge that we may never have children. Now, when we could, I was faced with the enormous task of telling Gabriel; and it was happening right here on the living room couch: no fireworks, no spectacle, just him and me and monumental news. I felt as I had that first day we were together: nervous and afraid he might not care. Of course, I know now that that was crazy. But back then, nothing was as unnerving as the uncertainty of what lay ahead. It was the same now. Only now, it wasn't just mine and Gabriel's future I was unsure about.

"Vivian." Gabriel nudged my face up to his. "Tell me."

"The remedy worked." I blurted out, and then bit my tongue feeling the taste of blood in my mouth.

For a moment Gabriel's face was blank as he processed what that meant. Then he exclaimed, "You're pregnant?" His eyes held a barely concealed gleam of hope, as if he dared not believe.

"No, not yet. I just mean that I can now. I think. I haven't exactly had a chance to test it out…yet." I smiled, relieved now that I'd told him. I was glad that this was finally happening.

Gabriel's face broke out in the brightest grin I'd ever seen on him. All at once, he was holding me tight and close.

"We can have pups!" His happiness was barely contained in the hushed whisper he breathed into my ear.

"I know." I felt the tears leaking onto my cheeks before I knew I was crying. They were happy tears, but Gabriel wouldn't stand to see me cry.

He kissed me roughly, but tenderly. "No more poison remedies, got it? No more," He growled. I hadn't realized that had bothered him so much; every cure has its risks.

"Okay," I agreed. I didn't plan on needing any radical treatments any time soon anyway.

"Oh, sweet Moon." Then he was laughing into my hair, pulling me tighter and I was laughing with him, because right now, at this moment, I don't think we'd ever been closer.

"I love you," I snuggled my head into his neck, kissing a familiar scar there.

"I love you too, babe." His fingers ran from my hair, down my back, and around my waist.

"So, when are you gonna give me my pup?" I pulled back to growl.

"Hmm…" He stroked his chin in mock contemplation. "How's your schedule looking for the next few hours?"

"Well…let's see…" I pulled out an invisible itinerary. "I think I can pencil you in somewhere in between killing the rogues and running the FBI off."

"Between?" Gabriel raised an eyebrow, and wrapped his hands around my body to cup my rear, pulling me up on his lap so I pressed against him. "I was thinking before."

"I'll see what I can do." I smirked, lowering my lips to his.

"You'll see what you can do?" Gabriel's brows arched. "I think you're going to have to do better than that. You have five seconds to get to the bed."

"Or what? Little Amber Persia is gonna be conceived on the floor?" I tossed my tawny mane over my shoulder and dashed down the hall.

Gabriel gave chase, catching me around the waist and throwing me on the bed when we reached our room. "That would make an interesting story, 'Sweetie, did I ever tell you the time your mother was reaping havoc all through the pack: punching prisoners, yelling at mothers, baiting me, and I was forced to punish her?' And since when did we decide on a name?" He was making quick work of disrobing me; my shorts and tank top were already on the floor.

"It was written in the stars." I mused. "You can't fight fate. Amber is my middle name and it only makes sense to name her after Persia, her being the last true healer and all."

"I think we're getting a little ahead of ourselves. You have to get pregnant first." Gabriel huffed out as I pulled his T-shirt over his head.

"Oh and I suppose you think you should be the one to do that, huh?" I snaked my fingers down his sides to his boxers.

"Why? Were you hoping Agent Mahone was up for the job?" He kicked the sheets out of his way so he could lean over me.

"Oh dear Moon! Horrible mental image there! I may be scared for life. How dare you?" I nipped at him playfully.

"I'm so sorry, how can I ever make it up to you?" Gabriel's voice was a deep throaty whisper that thundered huskily from deep within his chest. His hair had lengthened into a shaggy curtain of darkness and he took great care not to scrape his elongated talons over my wounds. I don't think I'd ever wanted him so badly.

"Oh, I can think of some ways." I licked my lips and pulled him closer.

"I'll bet you can." It was the last thing I heard before I was surrounded and filled with everything that was Gabriel.

* * *

"If you come after any one of us, we will come after you." Gabriel told Mahone simply, much later in the day as the waxing moon rose in the dark night sky.

"Are you threatening us?" Mahone's bushy eyebrows rose.

"No, we're promising you." Jacque stepped forward.

Gabriel went on. "We know you've been trying to find a way to get out of our deal, sending Claire and Abigail off, but if you do, we won't wait for you to make the first move. We will attack, before you can get word to Washington for more reinforcements. There are a hell a lot more of us in this town than there is of you, confined to this inn. Do you know how easy it would be to make it look like you and your team never showed up here?"

"Get rid of Jacqueline and the others quickly, otherwise we'll do it for you and it will not be pretty." I finished, not waiting for an answer. This, to me, was the most important part. I was no longer scared of the FBI. Yes, they could kill us, test us, or lock us up, but when forced we could do what loup-garou had been doing for thousands of years: fight or run. But, with monsters like Jacqueline? You couldn't run from them. Their spirit would spread like a sickness and infect others of our kind, creating a distrust of humans and a savage thirst for blood. Her influence had to stop here.

Mahone regarded the four of us, standing there in the parlor of the inn, united and strong. We exuded what I'm sure was an inhuman hostility toward him and his plans. It was enough for him to see we were serious. And, in the end, the human instinct for self-preservation won out; he gave in.

"Have it your way then, beasts."

That was exactly what we wanted to hear.

* * *

**Finally! An update, short, but here, and that's what counts after all! **

**Finally, you can jump up and down screaming, "Yes she's finally pregnant!" **

**Finally, you can say "No more FBI threat!" ****However, I wouldn't write off Jacqueline and her crew yet….**

**Tell me what you think about all these new developments as well as any thoughts you had while reading (besides "oh my god she finally updated!" lol) **

**My fav. moment in the chap? **

"I think we're getting a little ahead of ourselves. You have to get pregnant first."

"Oh and I suppose you think you should be the one to do that, huh?"

"Why? Were you hoping Agent Mahone was up for the job?"

**LOL **

**Anyways, REVIEW! **


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